Sachet alcohol ban could cost N1.9tn, 5m jobs, MAN warns

• Urges FG reversal

By Grace Edet
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned that the planned ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets and small PET bottles could wipe N1.9 trillion in investments and cost over 500,000 direct jobs and five million indirect jobs.
MAN urged the Federal Government and NAFDAC to reverse the directive before it takes effect on 31 December 2025.
Director-General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, described the Senate-backed ban, reportedly passed on 6 November 2025, as “terribly unfair” and at odds with previous stakeholder consultations and policy validations.
“This unexpected development contradicts all stakeholders’ efforts on the matter and is completely at variance with the subsisting position of the House of Representatives,” Ajayi-Kadir said.
He stressed that the Ministry of Health had already granted a one-year extension, during which the draft National Alcohol Policy was considered and validated by stakeholders, including NAFDAC.
Ajayi-Kadir criticised the Senate for bypassing structured consultations.
“Stakeholders’ consultation, either through a public hearing or focused meetings with relevant industry players, should have been called by the relevant Senate Committee before a ban was ordered,” he said.
According to the MAN DG, the National Alcohol Policy, validated in October 2025 by a multi-stakeholder committee, recommended tighter enforcement, establishment of licensed liquor outlets in LGAs, increased monitoring by NAFDAC and FCCPC, and public education campaigns against underage consumption, rather than an outright ban.
“We initiated campaigns on responsible alcohol consumption, spending over a billion Naira in media outreach across the federation, which have been very impactful in discouraging underage abuse,” he added.
Warning of severe economic fallout, Ajayi-Kadir said the ban would reduce manufacturing capacity utilisation, threaten indigenous businesses, and create a surge of illicit and unregulated alcohol in the market.
“A ban would open the market to foreign brands, mostly smuggled, and possibly unwholesome. This will be at the expense of domestic producers and result in loss of government revenue,” he said.
The MAN DG called on the Senate to rescind the ban and urged the Federal Government to expedite the endorsement and implementation of the validated National Alcohol Policy and its multi-sectoral framework, which he said would render the ban unnecessary.
“We should be mindful of the economic implications of unnecessary, sudden regulatory shifts that could affect legitimate manufacturers, thousands of employees, and informal value-chain operators across the country,” Ajayi-Kadir concluded, reiterating MAN’s commitment to responsible alcohol production, safety compliance, and public education campaigns.