The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has urged the National Assembly to suspend further consideration of the proposed Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) tax bill recently approved by the Senate, warning that it could undermine investments, threaten jobs, and increase the cost of doing business across Nigeria’s beverage sector.
The chamber also called on the House of Representatives to review the proposal, which seeks to replace the current flat excise duty on sweetened beverages with a percentage-based levy tied to retail prices.
ACCI President, Emeka Obegolu, said while the private sector supports efforts to improve public health outcomes, the proposed tax structure could place significant pressure on businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), at a time when they are already contending with inflation, foreign exchange volatility and rising energy costs.
He noted that the non-alcoholic beverage industry sustains a wide ecosystem of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, transporters, hospitality operators and informal traders whose livelihoods depend on the sector.
According to him, introducing additional fiscal burdens could weaken business sustainability, discourage investment and trigger job losses across the value chain.
Obegolu said: “We are not choosing between health and wealth; we are advocating a policy framework that achieves both. Nigeria can improve public health outcomes while preserving jobs, supporting investments and maintaining the competitiveness of its manufacturing sector. The objective should be to encourage healthier consumption patterns without imposing unintended consequences on businesses and consumers.”
The chamber expressed concern that shifting from a predictable per-litre excise regime to a retail-price-based taxation model would create uncertainty for businesses and investors, complicate long-term planning and increase compliance costs.
While reaffirming support for government efforts to tackle non-communicable diseases, ACCI stressed that public health interventions should remain evidence-based, predictable and structured in a way that encourages innovation rather than placing excessive burdens on productive sectors.
The chamber recommended broader stakeholder consultations before any further legislative action and advocated a sugar-content-based excise framework that would tax beverages according to actual sugar levels.
It said such an approach would incentivise manufacturers to reformulate products and reduce sugar content while still achieving public health objectives without eroding industrial competitiveness.
In a statement issued by ACCI Media and Strategy Officer, Olayemi John-Mensah, the chamber urged the federal government to ensure that revenues generated from any sweetened beverage tax are transparently deployed towards health education, nutrition awareness campaigns, disease prevention programmes and support for local manufacturers developing healthier alternatives.
In a related development, ACCI announced the postponement of the Agricultural Mechanisation for Export-Quality Products in Africa (AGROMEQA Expo 2026), originally scheduled for June 10 to 12.
The event will now hold from November 15 to 16, 2026, in Abuja.
The chamber said the decision followed extensive consultations with stakeholders aimed at ensuring broader participation from government agencies, development partners, investors, agribusiness operators, equipment manufacturers, financial institutions, researchers, farmers’ associations and international participants.
Obegolu reaffirmed ACCI’s commitment to agricultural transformation, food security and export-driven growth, describing the expo as a strategic platform for advancing Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.
