Stakeholders in the nutrition sector have reaffirmed commitments to advance nutrition in Nigeria in line with the N774 Initiative of the federal government of Nigeria.
This affirmation was given at the end of a high-level dialogue on the cost of inaction on malnutrition in Nigeria and N4G commitment making held in Abuja recently.
The Stakeholders in a Communique issued at the end of the dialogue, highlighted a myriad of challenges in addressing malnutrition and improving nutrition outcomes in the country which include inadequate funding and budget implementation, weak food systems and poor diet diversity, climate change, social cultural and behavioral patterns, data gaps and monitoring challenges in addition to food insecurity.
The Stakeholders resolved to have a comprehensive alignment across all sectors in ensuring that food security and malnutrition policies, strategies, guidelines and tools synergistically address malnutrition in all its forms by 2026.
The meeting agreed to establish and operationalize nutrition departments with dedicated budget lines across 12 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for improved management and coordination of nutrition actions at both national and sub national levels by 2028.
The stakeholders resolved to establish and operationalize a transformative nutrition investment fund to catalyze nationwide implementation of nutrition actions towards universal health coverage for all Nigerians by 2028.
They also took the decision to prioritize the implementation of the minimum package of nutrition services at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level as a component of the Sector Wide Approach (SWAP), driving tangible improvements in health and well- being.
They also resolved to expand access to social safety -net programs , water and sanitation (WASH) programs to empower vulnerable individuals and families in order to afford nutritionally diverse diets and end open defecation respectively among all Nigerians.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu decried the enormous economic cost of malnutrition on the Nigerian economy, which is estimated at $56 billion annually equivalent to about 12.2 per cent of the country’s Gross National Income (GNI). The Minister was ably represented at the meeting by the Permanent Secretary of FMBEP, Dr. Emeka Vitalis Obi.
The meeting held discussions on the upcoming Nutrition for Growth conference scheduled for March 2025 in Paris, France.
Stakeholders at the meeting were the office of the Vice President, relevant Ministries, representatives of the National Assembly, States, Nutrition International, Global Affairs Canada, UNICEF, GAIN, CS SUNN, GIZ, amongst others.
The high level dialogue was organized by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP) in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada and Nutrition International.