The National Economic Council’s (NEC) recent focus on malnutrition only reflects the daunting challenge it poses to Nigeria’s current and future health. Malnutrition remains a pressing challenge in the country, with millions of children at risk. So, the NEC’s concern is to urge swift action to combat this silent killer, which needs to be taken to the level of practical impact on the masses of Nigerians.
The National Economic Council launched the “Nutrition 774 (N774)” initiative to combat Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis and improve nutrition indices across Nigeria. The initiative was inaugurated at the 148th NEC meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who emphasised that malnutrition’s impact extends beyond the health sector, describing it as a fundamental crisis that hampers productivity and national growth.
Shettima emphasised that the initiative serves as an invitation to all stakeholders, including governors, ministers, local government chairmen, development partners, and the private sector, to take action. The new policy is expected to address various aspects of nutrition, including malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women; food security, on which the government plans to increase access to nutritious food, promote sustainable agriculture practices, and support small-scale farmers.
It also aims at raising awareness through nutrition education, strengthening the healthcare system, and encouraging partnerships between government agencies, CSOs, private sector organisations, and international donors to support nutrition programmes and initiatives.
The NEC’s initiative is timely, given the alarming projection that over 33 million Nigerians will face acute food insecurity by 2025, with a significant portion of this number being children under five. It is also in tandem with the United Nations warning that more than 2.5 million children in the northeast region alone are at risk of severe malnutrition unless urgent support is provided. As such, malnutrition, particularly among children, is a ticking time bomb in Nigeria.
This crisis of malnutrition is exacerbated by food insecurity, climate change, economic hardship, poverty, crisis and persistent violence, which have displaced millions, reducing access to nutritious food and cutting off access to necessities like safe water and food. Therefore, the failure to address these underlying issues threatens to undermine any progress made in combating malnutrition.
As noted by experts, “poverty and malnutrition are intricately related,” with poverty often leading to poor nutrition and malnutrition trapping communities in poverty. Thus, nutritionists have expressed skepticism about achieving the 2016 National Policy on Food and Nutrition’s goal of reducing malnutrition by 30 per cent by 2025, citing worsening poverty and food insecurity.
Furthermore, Nigeria should recognise that malnutrition is a barrier to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Reducing malnutrition can lead to healthier children, which in turn boosts educational outcomes and economic productivity. So, by tackling malnutrition, Nigeria can significantly advance towards SDGs 2 and 3. Therefore, by prioritising nutrition, Nigeria should aim to unlock a healthier future for its children and accelerate progress towards key SDGs.
Nigeria’s efforts to reduce malnutrition have been hampered by inadequate funding and political will. While NEC’s call for action against malnutrition is a beacon of hope, it must be accompanied by a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition as an endemic issue. This calls for a broader strategy that tackles the multifaceted challenges facing the country.
To overcome past hurdles, it is important to invest in sustainable agriculture, enhance access to healthcare and provide emergency aid to displaced populations; and adopt innovative strategies that highlight the importance of awareness, commitment and funding such as community-based initiatives, nutrition education, food fortification and regenerative agriculture, reducing food loss and waste. A reform of the education system is also needed.
Therefore, to effectively combat malnutrition and pave the way for a healthier future, Nigeria should adopt a result-oriented approach using several innovative strategies that leverage international partnerships, community engagement and education reform, among others.
First, partnerships with organisations like the International Rescue Committee (IRC) can enhance treatment for acute malnutrition through community-based interventions. So, it is important to recognise the role of communities because they play a crucial role in addressing malnutrition by adopting culturally acceptable practices. Interventions should target implementing community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) programmes that have shown promise. These programmes provide critical care to children at risk, and they should be scaled up nationwide.
Examples are community-based programmes such as Alive & Thrive in Kaduna State that demonstrate the effectiveness of community-based nutrition education and support for infant and young child feeding practices; and initiatives like mNutrition using mobile technology to disseminate critical nutrition information, reaching remote communities, which brings to the fore the place of technology for nutrition education. Also, the Positive Deviance/Hearth Approach, which identifies and spreads beneficial practices within communities, has shown promising results in reducing malnutrition rates.
Furthermore, it is crucial to enhance nutrition education for antenatal and lactating mothers, and this involves training healthcare workers to provide accurate and culturally sensitive advice on nutrition during the critical “1000-day period” from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.
Again, initiatives like food fortification have been successful in improving nutrition outcomes, and it is important to expand these programmes to ensure that staple foods are enriched with essential micronutrients. Some organisations have shown success in increasing the availability of fortified foods and promoting regenerative agriculture, which enhances food security and reduces environmental impact.
In addition, it is important to reduce food loss and waste, and intervention projects like TechnoServe Horticurity, which was used to redirect surplus foods to low-income markets, improving access to nutritious foods, should be implemented. Moreover, integrating nutrition awareness into Nigeria’s education system can empower future generations with the knowledge to make informed dietary choices.
Finally, the government must prioritise policies that promote economic stability and reduce inequality, as these are crucial in ensuring that families can afford nutritious food. Hence, in the context of NEC’s call to action aimed at tackling malnutrition, the nation cannot afford to sidestep critical reforms while millions face the specter of malnutrition.
The time for action to break the cycle of malnutrition through innovative strategies for a healthier Nigeria and sustainable development is now because the future of Nigeria’s children depends on it. All hands must be on deck, and Nigeria must act decisively to address malnutrition.
