The Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network (SBN) Nigeria advocates for concerted efforts and strategic partnerships to expedite tangible advancements in ensuring that healthier diets become more affordable, available, and accessible to all citizens.
The National Coordinator of SBN, Mr. Tomisin Odunmbaku, said this during the SBN Annual Members Convening held on Friday in Lagos. The event, organized by the SBN in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the World Food Programme, aimed to address pressing issues surrounding nutrition.
With the theme “Building a National Collaborative Mechanism for Nutrition in Nigeria: A Catalyst for Change,” the meeting served as a platform to discuss and strategize ways to foster a collective approach towards improving nutritional standards across the country.
According to Odunmbaku, recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics paints a sobering picture of the nutritional landscape in Nigeria.
“About 133 million people are classified as multidimensionally poor and over 100 million children lack adequate intellectual stimulation. However, nutrition remains a fundamental driver of poverty across all regions.
“Despite extensive investments and interventions, malnutrition indicators have unfortunately worsened over the past decade.
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“This underscores the urgent need for collective action, with the private sector, including the 39 million MSMEs in Nigeria and our esteemed 397 SBN members, playing a crucial role,” he said.
Odunmbaku noted that SBN was committed to providing the support and technical assistance necessary to fulfill commitments towards improving nutrition in the country.
According to him, SBN remains dedicated to advocating for an enabling environment that empowers nutrition businesses to thrive.
He said that the next phase of SBN’s programme implementation was geared at strengthening the ability of businesses, especially SMEs, to contribute to better nutrition indices in Nigeria.
“These businesses play a vital role in how our food is grown, processed and delivered. Thus, helping them position around objectives that reflect the country’s specific nutrition needs is a smart move.
“We encourage you to leverage the support and resources offered by GAIN through SBN, forging strategic partnerships across the nutrition value chain and within communities.
“By doing so, you not only position your businesses for success but also contribute significantly to the collective goal of eliminating malnutrition for good,” he said.
Similarly, Executive Director, (GAIN), Dr Lawrence Haddad, said Nigeria has lots of opportunities to transform its food system to follow a healthier and nutritional path that would enhance the well-being of its citizens.
Haddad said that collaboration between government and businesses was critical to enhance the nation’s food system.
He commended the Federal Government for raising the profile of food security and nutrition, urging the government to prioritise nutritious foods such as fish, eggs, vegetables, diaries and fruits.
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Haddad appealed to the government to incentivise businesses to produce nutritional food, and create an enabling environment for businesses to operate and thrive.
Also, Country Director, GAIN Nigeria, Dr Michael Ojo, said malnutrition represents a serious issue in Nigeria.
Ojo said that GAIN’s strategy to assist address the challenge was to transform food systems and make healthier diets accessible to all people, especially those who are most vulnerable to shocks
Commenting, from the Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr John Uruakpa said the Federal Government was committed to support SBN programmes.
Uruakpa called for more collaboration between SBN and the government toward improving nutrition indices and hunger reduction in the country.
