Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has inaugurated the Healthy Food Policy Youth Vanguard (HFPYV) programme with a youth-focused public health and food justice advocacy.
The two-day event, held in Ikeja, Lagos, featured the training and induction of no fewer than 28 young Nigerians as HFPYV pioneers from across the country.
Delivering his opening address on Day 1 of the programme, CAPPA’s executive director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, explained that the HFPYV is designed to equip youths to promote healthy lifestyles and resist attempts by corporations to, through food and dietary products or practices, jeopardize public health.
He emphasised that the HFPYV is particularly youth-focused because young people’s, dietary and lifestyle choices are the target of corporations that prioritise profits over health.
Oluwafemi said: “We take on campaigns that are targeted at the youth. Today, if you look at the food justice campaign, you’ll find out that the most targeted group are the youth. When you look around, look at their adverts, you’ll see that they are targeted at the youth.
“Digital and social media have become one major tool that they use and have been using for this recruitment of consumers, and who are the most active on those platforms? They’re the youths.
“So, it behoves on us too as we embark on some of these campaigns to get the youths actively involved. We would have loved to bring close to 100 youths or more, to this kind of gathering and, hopefully, we will be able to do more in different parts of Nigeria.
“But I am happy that we are launching this youth vanguard today, and that you are also part of it.”
He urged the inductees to be focused and think out of the box.
