FG making progress in battle against hunger, malnutrition – Bagudu
Omeiza Bilal
Nigeria is making significant progress in the its efforts to stamp out hunger and malnutrition, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, has said.
The minister spoke during a high-level consultative meeting on the development of national food and nutrition security crisis preparedness plan in Abuja on Friday, and said the country had made significant progress in strengthening its food and nutrition landscape.
He said the development of the plan, which the stakeholders were gathered to review, marked a significant milestone in the federal government’s proactive efforts to combat malnutrition and enhance Nigerians’ health and well-being through a coordinated food and nutrition response strategy.
The minister said the plan would offer valuable insights to strengthening early warning systems, climate resilience, and improved multisectoral coordination across government, UN agencies, NGOs, and humanitarian actors, aligning with national directives and IDA financing requirements.
“This will help us to achieve our goal of ensuring food security and nutrition for all Nigerians,” Bagudu told the participants, including the Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate.
He said Nigeria’s leap was due to the federal government’s prioritising of the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies aimed at reducing hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity across the country.
These efforts, he pointed out, included the rollout of targeted social protection programmes, investments in agricultural productivity, an enabling policy environment through the review of a more transformative National Policy on Food and Nutrition, and the strengthening of food supply chains, among others.
He explained that the Nutrition 774 Initiative, which was launched earlier in the year, incorporated multi-sectoral approaches at local levels to improve sustainable food and nutrition practices.
He emphasised that the initiative demonstrated the federal government’s commitment to coordinate efforts at the highest levels, ensuring that policies were aligned and resources are used efficiently.
Bagudu said, “The federal government has also worked with states, development partners, and stakeholders to expand innovative solutions such as climate-smart agriculture, digital extension services, and nutrition-sensitive interventions.
“Additionally, the establishment of the Nigeria Nutrition Multisectoral Data Framework TWG and the National Nutrition Dashboard aims to improve data collection, early warning systems, and community engagement, thereby better anticipating and responding to food security threats.”
