By Emmanuel Elebeke

The Federal Government is set to launch a new National Policy on Nutrition on Thursday.

This was announced at the just concluded two-day stakeholders’ workshop organized by the National Council on Nutrition (NCN) in collaboration with UNICEF and Nutrition International in Abuja. 

This policy aims to strengthen nutrition governance and operational frameworks across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas.

The Nutrition 774 (N774) initiative is a key part of this effort, focused on bringing life-saving nutrition interventions to every local government area in Nigeria. 

The policy is expected to be a collaborative effort between government at all levels, the private sector, and civil society organizations (CSOs).

According to the Special Assistant to the Vice President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwukah, this policy will be a significant step towards addressing nutrition-related challenges in Nigeria. This move is also aligned with the government’s efforts to promote healthy living and longevity, as seen in the recent launch of the National Guidelines on Women and Girls’ Empowerment for Optimal Nutrition.

The new policy is expected to address various aspects of nutrition, including:

Malnutrition: The policy aims to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women.

Food Security: The government plans to improve food security by increasing access to nutritious food, promoting sustainable agriculture practices, and supporting small-scale farmers.

Nutrition Education: The policy emphasizes the importance of nutrition education, aiming to raise awareness about healthy eating habits, proper nutrition, and the benefits of a balanced diet.

Healthcare: The government plans to strengthen the healthcare system, ensuring that nutrition services are integrated into primary healthcare programs.

Partnership: The policy encourages partnerships between government agencies, CSOs, private sector organizations, and international donors to support nutrition programs and initiatives.

In his presentation, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Emeka Vitalis Obi underscored the need for holistic implementation and accountability in Nigeria’s nutrition interventions. He highlighted the critical role of nutrition in fostering economic resilience and achieving key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as good health and well-being.

‘’The framework is aimed to standardize the operational system to implement decisions on foods security implementation in Nigeria but cannot be successfully carried out without the input of the national assembly. The amended 1999 constitution has given enormous powers to state House of Assemblies to make laws for smooth governance so the implementation of the national network on nutrition and food security on state actors.

‘‘My present today as a critical stakeholder is to contribute my quota to the operational framework procedures into the implementation of N774 initiative and we believe that the involvement of states actors like House of Assembly will give us an opportunity to make contribution in terms of the structure of the standard procedure in Nigeria.’’

The Country Director of Nutritional International, Dr. Osita Okonkwo summoned that the N774 initiative is an opportunity for Nigeria government to come up with a process to address mulnutrition challenges starting from the grassroot.

“All the participants coming from the different parts of the country are speaking one voice to get the people involves in addressing malnutrition issues. It shouldn’t be left for the government and partners alone but the entire community should participate in addressing it.

”What we are doing is support the government in this direction to come up with actionable plans that can be used to ensure that this program is effectively implemented. We are providing technical assistance in terms of data management, monitoring and evaluation and policies development to help the government to prepare this initiative for easy implementation and it’s scalable across all the local government areas.”

He explained that the intentions of NI  is to drive local resources mobilization to have partnership with the local government areas.

The launch of the new National Policy on Nutrition is a significant step towards addressing the nutrition-related challenges facing Nigeria. 

By working together, the government, private sector, and civil society organizations can help ensure that all Nigerians have access to nutritious food, promoting healthy living and longevity.