All forms of malnutrition has remained a signifi cant developmental problem in Nigeria. The sustainable reduction in malnutrition in the country will remain a substantial challenge without eff ective involvement of all relevant sectors. Starting the process of resolving this problem, the federal government launched a policy, JOHN OBA writes
It is on record that Nigeria nutrition survey is very low with 37% of children under-fi ve stunted; 21%severally stunted which indicates chronic and long standing malnutrition. 18% of children under the age of fi ve years are wasted with 12% severely wasted while 29% are underweight or too thin for their age. Th is is aside the challenges of food safety with statistic stated that Nigeria has alarmingly poor levels of food safety as food preparation, production and storage are exposed to variety of hazards.
Some farmers’ applications of fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides and veterinary medicines are sometimes indiscriminate leading to contamination that hampers Nigeria agricultural exportation potential. Aside this, Nigeria is facing signifi cant challenges to meet four of the fi ve 2025 World Health Assembly targets for improving maternal, infant and young child nutrition, coupled with the emerging threats of obesity and the rise in dietrelated non-communicable diseases Countering these problems, the federal government in conjunction with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) developed a Agricultural Food Security and Nutrition Strategy to create nutrition sensitive agricultural livelihoods and interventions. Th is policy launched in Abuja, implementation becomes the bone of contention, since similar good policies are laying waste in several offi ces un- implemented.
Th ough according to the senior adviser to the minister of agriculture and rural development, Dr. Adeyinka Onabolu, on the strategy, he said this will ensure eff ective advocacy for mobilizing necessary human, material, and fi nancial resources and encourage sustained commitment to agricultural development for improved nutrition. Adding that the strategy set out eight priority areas ranging from enhance value chains for improved nutrition; diversify household food production and consumption, especially targeting women and increase access to micronutrient rich food; improved food safety along the value chain; building resilience and social protection net through food nutrition systems for vulnerable groups. Other include promote nutrition research and information system; improve the agricultural sector capacity to address food security and nutrition problems; nutrition education, social marketing, behaviours change communication, and advocacy; and nutrition surveillance and monitoring and evaluation.
But there are still skepticism on the involvement of stakeholders especially those from the private sector. Kano State deputy governor, Prof. Abubakar Hafi z, at the launch of the policy express concern on the problem of multi-sectorial collaboration on this policy saying this is the biggest challenge that will impede on the success or failure of the country’s national food and nutrition policy.
“It is very diffi cult to separate the issue of food security and nutrition in Nigeria. We ought to also realize that issue about these two important items are multisectorial in nature. So we need multidisciplinary team to draw the policy. And in a developing country, one of the most diffi cult aspect of governance is multi sectorial collaboration and this is one of our biggest challenges which would have address the failure of our national food and nutrition policy,” he said. To him, the issue of multi-sectorial collaboration remains the key to success saying what Nigeria need is to make sure that it has the mechanism to ensure the multi-sectorial coordination and monitoring.
“Or we are to form a new body or have a structure within the ministry but I have my reservations for a structure within the ministry to function simply because of the way the service operate. It is not easy to deploy a staff of the ministry of health, that is a medical doctor, a planning offi cer from the national planning ministry, another from the ministry of women aff airs, and another from water resources, ministry of environment to a department or directorate within the ministry of agriculture to come and operate, our service does not know that and does not accommodate that.
“Hence the need to have a separate body, a food security and nutrition commission, we can leverage on the experiences of FAO for capacity building but more importantly for proper guidance, because there have been such experiences in some African countries to see what happen to such type of bodies. And the main job of that body is this issue of coordination and ensuring collaboration, mobilizing resources and the most important is the issue of creating awareness,” he said. But the country director of TechnoServe, Mr Larry Umunna, said nutrition is indeed multi-disciplinary, since it is found in cross-cutting, in agriculture, water and sanitation, and that there are multiple and diverse stakeholders involved in the subject of Nutrition. “If we look at nutrition opportunity in the agricultural value chain, we also need a lot of diff erent stakeholders along the value chains, from production to processors and consumers. Domestication Th e director, Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, Prof. Sandy Th omas, pointed out that if Nigeria is to meet the targets set out in its Strategy, it will require the private sector, civil society and government to work together on the key priorities, which includes; Implementing economic measures (taxation of unhealthy foods, and subsidies for healthy options); encouraging the marketing and promotion of high quality diets whilst restricting advertising and promotion of unhealthy foods; reformulating, labelling and processing foods in ways that increase their nutritional value and safety; providing high-quality foods in schools and workplace schemes; collecting better data on the quality of food environments.
Yet, the worrying of the Nutrition and Health Adviser, DFID, Ms Melkamnesh Alemu, is the ability of state governments to domesticate the policy, saying the policy is very apt, it has identifi ed gaps and also prioritise key actions, but the structure of Nigeria require that state take ownership of the policy. “Th is is a policy at national level and Nigeria is structured into states which has power in terms of implementing national policies that is fundamental issues on implementing the policy on food security and nutrition policy.
We also have the health sector nutrition strategy, partnership to expand water and sanitation strategy which are key policies and strategy which focus on improving food nutrition in Nigeria. “So at state level, is the problem of malnutrition appreciated by state leaderships? If it is, then all these policies need to be domesticated in the context of each state. “State taking ownership and responsibility of implementing the policies and monitoring results.
Th ey should know how much have we changed in terms of improved nutrition? Another problem is the ignorant of most Nigerians about nutrition, lamenting this, Hafi z, said, from the policy level to the individual at the community level, we are seriously ignorant about nutrition, what it stands for, what it is the principal role in social economic development and more important and sad is that those who think they know they actually done know the pivotal position of nutrition.
Partnership On partnership, Mr Umunna, said Nigeria did not have the right partnership and platform to help deliver on the strategy. “We got lots of partnership that comes in diff erent names, we have working groups, we have task forces, PPP, alliances, inter-sectoral, inter-ministerial but can we use existing structures and fi nd ways and means to strengthen those structures. “Do we necessarily need to form a new partnership, will that partnership structure be inclusive, are we inviting private sector just because we want to take the box and we all know that more often than not, especially when it come to policy matters.
Th e practice has been that government come up with a policy and remember that they need the private sector for implementation. So how inclusive will the partnership structure be,” he queried. To him, the guiding principles for partnership to work should be that Nigeria must be result orientated, by guided by the evidence, that is data to guide decision for that partnership, and more importantly, it should be action focus. But Ms Alemu, the federal government
