By Mercy Aikoye
The Federal Government has called on private sector operators and financial institutions to invest in Nigeria’s nutrition sector, saying increased private capital is critical to expanding local production, creating jobs and tackling malnutrition.
The call was made at a High-Level Private Sector Roundtable Engagement on Nutrition organised by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President and the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) in Abuja.
Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. John Owan-Enoh, said the government could not address the country’s nutrition challenges alone, stressing the need to reposition nutrition as an industrial and economic priority.
According to him, nutrition should no longer be viewed solely from a medical or humanitarian perspective, but as a critical component of industrial development, MSME competitiveness, workforce productivity and wealth creation.
Owan-Enoh said Nigeria was facing a double burden of malnutrition, including persistent undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, alongside diet-related non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
He said the situation imposes significant social and economic costs on the country, making urgent and coordinated action necessary.
The minister said FMITI, through the National Policy on Food and Nutrition, was working to translate national nutrition goals into sector-specific actions covering trade, agriculture, health, social protection and education.
He added that the ministry was also developing a Unified Trade Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan to integrate nutrition into Nigeria’s industrial policies, trade frameworks and commercial activities.
Owan-Enoh stressed the need for Nigeria to strengthen domestic production of nutritious foods, therapeutic foods and specialised supplements that could be manufactured locally.
He said the ministry would promote local patronage and ensure that public and institutional procurement policies give priority to locally processed and nutritious food products.
The minister said such measures would help create sustainable markets for local manufacturers and processors while reducing dependence on imported nutrition products.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, FMITI, Dr. Chris Osa Isokpunwu, said nutrition was not merely a health-sector responsibility but an economic and industrial priority with implications for productivity, enterprise development, investment, trade and national wellbeing.
He said Nigeria needed to strengthen the systems responsible for producing, processing, financing and distributing nutritious food to achieve sustainable improvements in nutrition.
Isokpunwu said the roundtable was designed to identify opportunities and bottlenecks across the food value chain, assess private-sector capabilities and develop a practical pathway for broader collaboration under the MarketFit Nutrition 2035 framework.
He said greater private-sector participation would strengthen domestic industries, create markets for Nigerian farmers, support MSMEs, attract investment and create jobs.
Representing the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Mrs. Uju Rochas-Anwukah, said the administration recognised nutrition as a key driver of economic development.
She said the Nutrition 774 Initiative (N-774), which covers all 774 Local Government Areas, was designed to bring government, private-sector operators, development partners and communities together to tackle malnutrition.
Rochas-Anwukah urged businesses to approach nutrition as an investment opportunity rather than a philanthropic venture.
“We need you, the private sector, as investors, not donors,” she said, calling for capital to be directed towards local production, food fortification and supply chains capable of reaching underserved communities.
She also called on financial institutions to develop financing mechanisms for nutrition-related businesses, arguing that increased investment would help make nutritious food more affordable and accessible.
According to her, mobilising private capital for nutrition is simultaneously an industrial, trade and investment policy, adding that the N-774 framework provides opportunities for businesses to develop supply chains across the 774 LGAs.
Rochas-Anwukah said the meeting was expected to produce four key outcomes, including a shared national framework for structured private-sector engagement, identification of financing and regulatory barriers, an accountable mechanism for implementation, and specific commitments from companies, financial institutions, industry associations and development partners.
She further urged private-sector stakeholders to commit capital to scalable nutrition solutions, local production and innovative delivery models capable of reaching vulnerable communities.
Participants at the roundtable included representatives of the Bank of Industry, Central Bank of Nigeria, Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, NAFDAC, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, GAIN, UNICEF, FCDO and other stakeholders.
