Transnational alcohol corporations in Nigeria as commercial determinants of health: Implications for policy

Abstract

Research on commercial determinants of health (CDoH) has burgeoned in the Global North. However, despite the heavy presence of harmful commodity industries in Africa, little scholarly attention has been paid to CDoH. Transnational alcohol corporations (TNACs) in Nigeria deploy well-articulated marketing strategies and practices that negatively impact health in their quest for profit maximisation, wealth extraction and influence. Nevertheless, their tactics and practices are largely unregulated and understudied. This commentary demonstrates how TNACs in Nigeria are a key pervasive and harmful CDoH, highlighting the policy implications of their strategies and practices. Focusing on changing norms that constrain young people's drinking, TNACs promote hazardous drinking practices by using drinking games as a marketing strategy where the winners receive more alcohol and money as prizes. Alcohol corporations also encourage sexual risk-taking and associated harm by marketing alcoholic bitters as aphrodisiacs and sex enhancers. From 2014 to 2016, one TNAC organised the annual Nigerian Beer Symposium, spreading misleading information that beer consumption prevents cancer, reduces kidney stones, and improves women's skin beauty. Furthermore, through partnerships with the government, TNACs appear to use industry-led corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to lobby officials, enhance corporate reputations, sustain pro-drinking framings, disinformation/misinformation and self-regulation, and silence discussions on alcohol policy implementation. While TNACs’ products and practices negatively impact health/equities, decision-makers appear to enable their enormous power. The government should embrace evidence against TNACs as CDoH, implement policies to regulate them and collaborate with civil society organisations/advocates to hold them to account. Relatedly, the government should hold TNACs to account through international mechanisms because most of their practices violate laws in the Global North countries where they are headquartered.