To address the crisis, the non-profit demanded that evidence-based nutrition interventions must be prioritised in the 2025 budgets of relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs)
With more than 35 million children affected by malnutrition, the National Nutrition Finance Technical Committee has called for increased budgetary allocation for nutrition interventions in 2025.
The technical committee is asking that nutrition intervention be prioritised in the next budget and be expanded to meet the country's needs.
According to a recent statement, the committee made this call while on a courtesy visit to the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu.
The committee, which was established under the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project with the support of the World Bank, has emphasised the need to address the country's food and nutrition crisis with a sense of urgency, given that it is continuously exacerbated by ongoing socio-economic challenges.
According to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths of under-five children.
The non-profit estimates that at least 2 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five.
Evidence-based intervention
To address this crisis, the non-profit demanded that evidence-based nutrition interventions must be prioritised in the 2025 budgets of relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs)
The committee also suggested tagging of nutrition-related budgets by the MDAs, saying using a standardised nutrition budget tagging framework will help to track how funds meant for nutrition are being handled at different stages.
"The meeting laid the foundation for stronger multi-sectoral collaboration and highlighted the urgency of securing sustainable financing to combat malnutrition and promote healthier food systems across the country," the statement reads in part.
The committee noted that although the progress in the fund allocated to nutrition intervention in the last few years, more needs to be done.
"Budget data from the last three years have shown gradual growth of domestic resources for nutrition in the federal budget from 10.8 billion Naira in 2021, 6.5 billion Naira in 2023 to 18.0 billion Naira in 2024," the statement read.
Malnutrition in Nigeria
Northern states are the most affected by the two forms of malnutrition - stunting and wasting, according to UNICEF.
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The country's high malnutrition rates present serious public health and developmental hurdles.
Stunting, beyond raising mortality risks, is associated with impaired cognitive growth, diminished academic achievement, and reduced adult productivity, which together drive economic losses estimated at up to 11 per cent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) according to UNICEF.
Meanwhile, the Task Team Leader of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project, Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, also explained that the integration of nutrition into budget circulars began two years ago and continues to evolve with a focus on learning and adaptation for improved impact.
She noted that this initiative is part of a larger effort involving analytical studies and public financial management reforms, including allocative efficiency assessments to prioritise budget allocation.
Members of the technical committee are; the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Others are; Representatives from the Office of the Vice President, Budget Office of the Federation, Accountant-General of the Federation, Nigerian Governors Forum, World Bank, Results for Development and the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN).
