The Federal Government, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) through its flagship Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN), and others have convened to integrate climate resilience and nutrition for sustainable food systems.
This is geared toward achieving improved health outcomes in the country.
The I-CAN framework, launched at COP27 by the Government of Egypt alongside partners like WHO, FAO, UNEP, and GAIN, offers a global model to bridge the policy divide between climate and nutrition.
A study on climate and Nutrition Integration by GAIN was also presented at the National Consultation on Climate and Nutrition Integration in Abuja on Thursday.
The report centred around Evidence Generation, Stakeholders Mapping and Policy Landscape Analysis in Nigeria.
The Director, Social Development Department, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Faniran Sanjo said that the study being presented fitted into government efforts to review the National Food and Nutrition Policy.
Sanjo is also the National Convener, Food Systems Transformation Pathways in Nigeria.
“It will also help us to address the challenges in our food system, from the point of planting to the dining table, because it is at the dining table that we are mostly looking at the nutrition.
“If climate action is actually giving serious attention, all those things that are affecting nutrition, that are affecting our food system, will definitely be taken care of.
“We are looking up to a robust National Food and Nutrition policy, which the ministry is coordinating with all relevant stakeholders, both at the national and sub national levels of governance,” he said.
Mrs Ladi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Head of the Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, noted government’s efforts in implementing policies aimed at promoting nutrition and food security nationwide.
Bako-Aiyegbusi said that the National Policy on Food and Nutrition, National Health Promotion policy and others being implemented nationwide were aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of the population.
She said that these policies also addressed the impact of climate change on health, nutrition, non-communicable diseases, amongst others.
According to her, through these policies and strategies being implemented, the government has been able to scale-up nutrition interventions and improve food security, health outcomes, and overall sustainable development.
Dr Michael Ojo, Country Director of GAIN Nigeria, stressed the urgent need to align Nigeria’s climate and nutrition policies in a coherent, actionable framework.
“Climate change is not just an environmental crisis; it is also a nutrition crisis.
“The need to align climate resilience with nutrition outcomes has never been more urgent,” he said.
Mr Obinna Igwebuike, Co-Founder and CEO, Sawubona Advisory Services, presented the Nutrition Integration: “Evidence Generation, Stakeholders Mapping and Policy Landscape Analysis in Nigeria”.
Igwebuike said that climate change had severely impacted food and nutrition security in Nigeria.
He said that the study showed that over 33 million Nigerians were projected to face acute food insecurity in 2025, while over 30 per cent of children under five were currently stunted.
He stressed the need for the urgent implementation of actionable framework that would strengthen Nigeria’s resilience to climate shocks while improving nutrition outcomes.
Other stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to address the climate-nutrition nexus.
They expressed commitment to building a mission-driven approach to sustainable, climate-resilient nutrition systems in Nigeria, as part of global efforts to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
By Justina Auta
