The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has said that the government’s move to ban the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small PET bottles, effective December 31, 2025, will have severe repercussions on the economy.

” This announcement by the NAFDAC, in our view, is counterproductive and threatens to disrupt the economy significantly at a time when it is beginning to stabilise,” said the Association through its Director-General, Ajayi-Kadir.

The Association emphasised that the ban would likely lead to the “Loss of over N1.9 trillion in investments, primarily from indigenous Nigerian companies.

• Mass retrenchment of over 500,000 direct employees and approximately 5 million indirect employees through contracts, marketing, and logistics.”

Ajayi-Kadir said that the earlier directive from the Ministry of Health for a one-year extension, which included the consideration and validation of the draft National Alcohol Policy by stakeholders, should have been taken into account before any significant announcement from another government body.

“We believe that a consultation with whether through a public hearing or focused meetings with relevant parties in the alcohol beverage industry, should have been conducted by the appropriate Senate Committee before an outright ban was imposed.

This approach was successfully followed by the House of Representatives in the recent past,” he stated.

Ajayi-Kadir highlighted that issues related to the ban on alcohol in sachets and small PET bottles were addressed by a broad committee that included all stakeholders, along with NAFDAC representatives, who validated the National Alcohol Policy in October 2025. The committee made the following key recommendations:

• Develop multi-sectoral action plans.- Strengthen enforcement by law enforcement agencies

• Establish licensed liquor stores/outlets in Local Government Areas nationwide.

• Increase monitoring and compliance checks by NAFDAC, FCCPC, and others to ensure product quality and safety.

• Regulatory bodies should focus more on regulation, monitoring, and educational campaigns to inform stakeholders and the public about the dangers of underage alcohol consumption and its sale in motor parks.

• Conduct educational campaigns in secondary schools across the country to raise awareness among students about the dangers and issues related to alcohol abuse.

Furthermore, we would like to note that the unfounded and untested claim of abuse by minors has been challenged by several independent studies conducted by the government.

The industry has proactively launched campaigns promoting responsible alcohol consumption to discourage underage abuse, resulting in expenditures exceeding one billion Naira on media outreach across the nation, which has effectively just underage drinking.

Ajayi-Kadir also stressed that the Senate’s directive for an outright ban is unjust and does not reflect the industry’s true conditions, as it seems the upper chamber has only considered NAFDAC’s perspective.

NAFDAC was part of the validation organised by the Ministry of Health, and it should have presented its views to the Committee and the Ministry during that process, rather than circumventing these channels and approaching the National Assembly without consulting other stakeholders.