Health Impact Assessment: Expanding Public Policy Tools for Promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria

The most unprecedented global pandemic that knows no borders has brought into sharp focus the intersection of government and public health policy, and the unique challenges that Nigeria population face today. As the world faces a pandemic of historic proportions with the worst public health and economic crisis, governments are periodically confronted with an array of time-sensitive policy questions. Although, while we are still learning a lot about the value of Health Impact Assessment and piecing together evidence-based information on how it will affect different populations and communities. There is no doubt that the world is under serious threat from the environment: From China to Nigeria, United State of America and United Kingdom, analysts have argued that the environment was only responding to the abuses heaped on it by man’s activities [1,2]. The concern is that the world is almost getting close to extinction because of the pandemic unless urgent actions are taken; and the signs are just too apparent to be ignored [3-8]. Anthropogenic activities and its resulting effect of coronavirus and change in the world’s climate, is currently exerting a lot of pressure on the environment [3-5,9-14]. The daunting effects of climate change and its link to social and economic snags bedeviling today’s world, prompted the UN’s World Commission for Environment and Development to create a concept in 1987 that compels individuals and government to responsibly exploit resources in a manner that will not rub future generations from meeting their own needs. This concept is termed sustainable development [15], the 193 member states of the United Nations, adopted 17 goals in September of 2015. These goals are targeted at, eradicate poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring the prosperity of all mankind. This sustainable development initiative is expected to be accomplished by 2030 [16]. To achieve the goals and objectives, HIA must play a strong prominence in decision support for professionals responsible for creating future solutions, but also for everybody else who, in today’s world economy, is both a stakeholder and a decision-maker with a role to play concerning HIA as a consumer, as member of a local community, or as a voter [2,17,20,22]. Individual decisions about what truly defines sustainable development at all levels, must be predicated upon providing tools that are detailed, having the capability of answering their questions. A structured standpoint approach must be employed, if blame trading that often arise whenever solutions to a problem creates new challenges that are usually overlooked or is to be avoided. Assessing routinely and reporting how a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) aims to address health might better manage expectations and help HIA practitioners and users more conscious of how an HIA can realistically be used to advance health especially since it is a terrifying time for us all, which could get much, much worse. However, principles of health, along with related concerns for disparities reduction, protection of vulnerable populations, and respect for human agency, have been a cornerstone of health impact assessment (HIA) [17-20,22]. Therefore, the Health impact assessment (HIA) is a forward-looking, evidence-based tool used to inform stakeholders and policymakers about the potential health impacts of proposed projects and policies and to identify options for maximizing potential health benefits and minimizing potential harm. Similarly, Health Impact Assessment (HIA), which is a blend of several methodologies in the assessment of the possible health impact on a population a