Following the discovery of over two million under-five acutely malnourished Nigerian children and 45 per cent infant deaths linked to poor diet, the private sector has been urged to prioritise nutrition as a business opportunity, and not just a charitable cause.

This appeal was echoed at the virtual Private Sector Roundtable on Sustainable Nutrition, convened by Community Pot.

The event brought together leaders from government, development agencies, agribusiness, and consulting to explore the private sector’s role in tackling one of the nation’s most pressing public health and economic challenges.

Themed, “Nigeria’s Next Frontier for Human Capital & Business Returns,” the roundtable provided a platform to align market strategy with nutrition outcomes.

According to the Founder, Community Pot, Oluwakemi Jeje, malnutrition has long been left to donors and emergency responders, yet its potential for private sector engagement is massive and largely untapped.

Jeje challenged brands and investors to shift their lens, stating that the size of the malnutrition problem is also the size of the opportunity for businesses.

Delivering the keynote address, the Director of the Economic Planning Department, Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Saheed Olowonishaye, stressed the need for multi-sectoral involvement.

Highlighting the inter-generational impact, he warned that undernourished children today cannot become effective leaders tomorrow.

One of the speakers and a consultant at Sahel Consulting, Hauwa Ali, echoed the need for local innovation and product development in light of supply chain disruptions for therapeutic foods.

Ali emphasised that business alignment with social impact is not only possible, but necessary.

Another speaker and HR Lead at Flour Mills of Nigeria (Agro Allied Division), Christianah Olukanni, noted that health-focused food innovation must become a core part of business, not just Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Also speaking, the Director of Health and Nutrition at Aliko Dangote Foundation, Dr Francis Aminu, stated: “We must move beyond traditional monitoring, and evaluation nutrition interventions should be about learning and adapting. That’s why we use the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) approach.”