The Federal Government has restated its commitment to improving nutrition outcomes for children under five, women of reproductive age, and other vulnerable groups in the country.

It identified inadequate funding and weak data systems as major obstacles hindering the country’s ability to achieve its nutrition goals.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for effective coordination to advance nutrition efforts in Nigeria.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Emeka Obi, who stated this at the Nigeria Health Watch 2024 Nutrition Consultative Forum with the theme: “Addressing Coordination Bottlenecks in Nigeria for Improved Nutrition Outcomes,” observed that insufficient alignment between institutional programmes, gaps in communication among ministries, and limited funding of nutrition programmes continue to impede progress.

He stated that while numerous interventions had been launched by government agencies and international partners, fragmented policies and resource gaps had continued to hinder their effectiveness and stressed the need to urgently address these bottlenecks.

Obi noted that the ministry is implementing food and nutrition-related interventions under Nigeria’s Medium-Term National Development Plan and Agenda 2050.

He observed that the government is working to improve monitoring through the National Nutrition Dashboard, developed with support from the World Bank’s Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project, to enable more efficient resource allocation and programme evaluation across the country.

Obi pointed out that improving nutrition outcomes in Nigeria requires breaking down barriers and fostering a unified approach to policy implementation, adding that with the passage of the National Council on Nutrition (NCN), there is renewed momentum to implement the multisectoral plan of action for food and nutrition.

He said, “By bringing together diverse voices and expertise, the programme will foster the collaboration needed to ensure that Nigeria can effectively combat malnutrition and food insecurity.

“It will achieve this by paving the way for improved public health and economic growth. With a range of stakeholders, the event generated actionable recommendations to address coordination gaps. These solutions could lead to better nutrition policies, increased budgetary allocation, and more sustainable outcomes for Nigeria’s food security agenda.”

Also speaking, the Chief of Nutrition, UNICEF Nigeria, Ms. Nemat Hajeebhoy, noted the need for evidence-informed policies in shaping the country’s nutrition strategies.

She advocated for a strong data system, which is critical to identifying gaps and driving impactful interventions, and stressed the need for effective coordination to advance nutrition efforts in Nigeria.

In a presentation titled, “Nutrition Coordination Gaps in Nigeria,” the Programmes Manager, Nigeria Health Watch, Ms. Adanna Opara, said that malnutrition is still an issue of public health concern in Nigeria, stressing that addressing malnutrition requires a multisectoral approach and effective multi-sectoral coordination.

She observed that the causes of malnutrition are multifaceted and require interventions and solutions that cut across different sectors.

Opara noted that malnutrition issues in the country include undernutrition, which presents in form of stunting, wasting, and underweight, while overnutrition issues include overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Micronutrient deficiencies, including vitamin A, folic acid, and minerals like iron, zinc, and iodine, are also significant concerns.

She observed that Nigeria’s current exclusive breastfeeding rate falls below the targets set by global and national bodies, underscoring the need to address these challenges.

According to her, the 2025 National Nutrition Target seeks to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in the proportion of people who suffer from hunger and malnutrition, increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months to 65 per cent against the current 34 per cent, reduce the rate of stunting among under-five children to 18 per cent, reduce childhood wasting, including Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), to 10 per cent, reduce anaemia among pregnant women to 40 per cent, and reduce the prevalence of diet-related noncommunicable diseases by 25 per cent.

On his part, the Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry of Health, Mr. Jalo Ali, observed that malnutrition has gone beyond a regional issue to a national one, adding that without adequate resources, the nutrition gaps in the country will persist.

The Head of Nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ladi Aiyegbusi, said that the government is collaborating with partners to tackle the malnutrition problem in the country.

Aiyegbusi disclosed that over 2,000 master trainers across 36 states and the FCT are leading maternal and child nutrition efforts, adding that grassroots coordination is being strengthened through state-level committees to boost response.