Health experts have urged federal and state governments to spend more, fix supply chains and widen access to multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for pregnant women.

They warn that repeated shortages are weakening efforts to protect the health of mothers and babies in Nigeria.

The call comes as the world marks World Food Day today, Friday 16 October. The theme set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this year is “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.” It focuses on making safe, nutritious and affordable food available to all.

A new study shows how wide the supply gap is. It found that 80.3% of pregnant women surveyed had faced stockouts of MMS at health facilities. Only 29.4% said the supplements were always available.

The Academic and Research Network, Nigeria, carried out the study with Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), with UNICEF support. It covered 21 states and was presented at a CS-SUNN briefing in Abuja on 1 September.

The study suggests women are willing to take the supplements. About 92.1% said they would take them again if they were always available. 

Yet only 62.9% received them during pregnancy in facilities where they were in stock.

Health workers painted a similar picture. Only 39.4% said MMS was always sufficiently available in their facilities, while 18.3% reported frequent stockouts. The findings come from a survey and should not be applied automatically to every health facility in the country.

In September 2025, a UNICEF official told a media roundtable in Abuja that about 60% of pregnant women in Nigeria had no access to MMS.

According to official UN tracking data, Nigeria registers approximately 58,000 to 67,000 maternal deaths annually. That is among the highest in the world. 

Poor nutrition is only one of several factors that affect pregnancy outcomes. But anaemia, which reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, raises health risks for mothers and babies. 

A study using data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey found that 61.1% of pregnant women in its sample were anaemic. Other estimates differ by year and method. The figure covers anaemia in general, not iron deficiency alone.

MMS contain iron, folic acid and other vitamins and minerals. Iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets, the usual alternative, provide two key nutrients. The widely used UNIMMAP formulation, developed under the United Nations, contains 15, including iron and folic acid. 

The supplements are meant to support a healthy diet, not replace nutritious food or other antenatal care.

Dr Ayodele Renner, a consultant paediatrician and medical expert, said:

“In Nigeria, a lot of pregnant women are actually iron deficient, and these 13 micronutrients have implications not just for the mother but for the fetus as well. For the mother, it prevents iron deficiency, and for the baby it improves cognitive development.”

His figure of 13 micronutrients differs from the 15 in UNIMMAP. Nigeria’s national guidelines approve MMS with 13 to 15 components, so the formulation in use matters.

Nigeria approved MMS for use in 2021 through a ministerial order approved MMS for use in 2021 through a ministerial order. In December 2025, the government launched a national roadmap for rolling out and scaling up MMS, covering 2025 to 2029. It aims to reach 70% of pregnant women attending antenatal care by 2030.

But policy approval is not enough. Funding, buying, distribution and delivery at clinics all decide whether women get the supplements regularly.

UNICEF said in February 2025 that the Child Nutrition Fund, which it manages, provided three million bottles of MMS in 2024, with another three million due in 2025. Kirk Humanitarian Foundation donated the bottles. 

UNICEF also cited an estimated 12 million pregnancies in Nigeria in 2024. It urged federal and state governments to invest in buying MMS through the fund’s 1:1 match mechanism.

These figures show bottles supplied and planned. They do not show how many women finished a full course.

Dr Renner said the number of women reached remains far too low.

“Since 2021, when it was introduced, 1.3 million Nigerian women have been covered with an extra three million being covered by UNICEF. But that’s still a huge gap from what we’re trying to achieve, where we have about 12 million Nigerian women being pregnant at any point in time,” he said.

Maternal health specialist Hauwa Abbas said pregnancy raises the body’s need for nutrients.

“Every single day of pregnancy, a mother is building brain tissue, vital organs and blood volume. A growing baby does not just need a full stomach; they need complete clinical nutrition, which requires 15 essential vitamins and minerals; food alone cannot provide the full nutrients,” she said.

She added that access to the supplements could help prevent deficiencies and improve birth outcomes.

The economic case is also growing. A 2026 study in BMJ Global Health looked at the costs and benefits of replacing IFA with MMS in 25 low- and middle-income countries. It found the switch to be cost-effective and estimated it could prevent millions of low birthweight births. 

It cited a UNICEF buying price of $2.50 for 180 MMS tablets, although real costs vary with buying, distribution and delivery.

WHO guidance needs careful reading. It recommends IFA supplements in pregnancy as the standard way to prevent maternal anaemia. 

For MMS that include IFA, it recommends use in the context of rigorous research. That reflects the need for more evidence and careful rollout. It also says countries with a high burden of deficiencies may decide the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

As Nigeria works to improve maternal health, the challenge is to turn commitments into steady access to quality antenatal care, nutritional support and other basic services.