By Mercy Aikoye
Nigeria is grappling with a dire malnutrition crisis, holding the second-highest global ranking and topping the list in Africa, as stated by Uju Anwukah, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health.
Malnutrition costs Nigeria approximately $1.5 billion annually, while inaction would cost around $56 billion, or 12.2% of the country’s Gross National Income, as revealed by Chike Okafor, Chairman of the House Committee on Food and Nutrition.
Post-harvest losses, estimated at $2 billion yearly by the FAO, exacerbate food insecurity. This loss surpasses the combined nutrition budget of key ministries.
“This continued loss is not only unacceptable, but unsustainable given the austere times in which we currently live,” Okafor emphasized, highlighting the need for strategic capacity building.
The committee is undertaking capacity building sessions to better understand nutrition and food security challenges. “We are undertaking strategic capacity building sessions to have a better understanding of the root and dynamics of current nutrition and food security challenges in Nigeria,” Okafor stated.
The committee is working with states and development partners to institutionalize capacity building sessions, ensuring effective oversight of nutrition interventions.
Nigeria has signed up for the N-774 initiative to address malnutrition from the grassroots level, endorsed by the National Council on Food Security and the Nigerian Governors Forum.
