A stark illustration of Nigeria’s escalating cost-of-living crisis is that personal hygiene products, once considered basic necessities, are increasingly becoming unaffordable luxuries for many. A recent report by SBM Intelligence, titled “Price of Everything: Telecoms Offer Relief Amidst Nigeria’s Inflation Storm,” reveals the alarming rate at which essential hygiene items, particularly sanitary pads, are becoming inaccessible to a significant portion of the population.
Nigeria’s inflation rate has soared to a near 30-year high, reaching 33.2% in 2024. While rising food costs have dominated headlines, the report sheds light on a less-discussed but equally critical issue: the impact of inflation on personal hygiene and its disproportionate effect on women and girls.
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The report highlights a staggering 144% increase in the price of sanitary pads between 2023 and 2024. This surge has made a product essential for menstrual hygiene prohibitively expensive for low-income households, exacerbating the already widespread issue of period poverty.
“A 144% price hike in sanitary pads has made them unaffordable for many Nigerian girls, forcing them to use makeshift alternatives and exposing them to health risks, trauma, and school dropout,” the report states.
Period poverty, defined as the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, education, and sanitation facilities, is a pervasive problem in Nigeria. With sanitary pads becoming increasingly unaffordable, many girls are forced to resort to unsafe alternatives like pieces of cloth, tissue paper, old rags, or leaves, exposing them to reproductive and urinary tract infections.
The consequences of this lack of access to proper menstrual hygiene are far-reaching. Girls miss school, endure stigma and shame, and, in many cases, drop out of school entirely. Nigeria already has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, with girls representing 60% of that number, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The report underscores that period poverty adds to the barriers preventing girls from accessing education and achieving their full potential.
Beyond the direct health risks and educational setbacks, the psychological toll on girls and women is significant. Many live in constant fear of staining their clothes, enduring stigma and shame. Restricted mobility and a lack of proper menstrual care affect their confidence, participation in daily activities, and long-term opportunities.
The affordability crisis extends beyond sanitary pads. Rising prices of other personal hygiene items, such as soap, toothpaste, and detergents, are also impacting low-income households, further compromising public health and sanitation standards.
As the report notes, “With the country’s average inflation rate rising to 33.2% in 2024, basic survival takes precedence over menstrual hygiene.” Many families already struggling to afford food and other essentials are forced to prioritise basic sustenance over personal hygiene.
The SBM Intelligence report serves as a stark reminder of the multifaceted nature of Nigeria’s inflationary crisis. While addressing food insecurity remains a top priority, policymakers must also recognise the importance of ensuring access to affordable personal hygiene products.
Addressing this issue requires a multi-pronged approach, including implementing tax breaks on the production and importation of sanitary pads to reduce their cost, subsidising the distribution of sanitary pads to low-income households through schools and community health centers, promoting menstrual hygiene education in schools and communities to combat stigma and promote safe practices, encouraging the local production of affordable and quality sanitary pads to reduce reliance on imports, and improving access to clean water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities.
Without decisive action, the rising cost of personal hygiene will continue to disproportionately affect women and girls, undermining their health, education, and economic empowerment. In a nation striving for progress and development, ensuring access to basic cleanliness must be a priority, not a luxury. According to the report, other industries such as telecommunications, cable TV, etc, are now in dire straits due to factors such as inflation, FX volatility, amongst others.
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