Nigéria

The approved NMPFAN, which cuts across all sectors working on nutrition, has brought together stakeholders to work towards common country priorities. The plan aligns these stakeholders to scale up priority high-impact nutrition-specific and -sensitive interventions with a focus on those who are most vulnerable, especially women, children and internally displaced persons. The country’s participation at the 2021 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit resulted in the development of countrywide commitments and active participation in the global event.

The Government has committed funding, with a budget line created for nutrition at most ministries, departments and agencies. This has been captured in the Government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2021–2025, which increases opportunities to strengthen country capacity. Focus has been placed on the need to build the capacity of programme implementers as a priority and to provide a conducive macroeconomic environment that will help improve nutrition status. The SUN Secretariat also has limited capacity and will need strengthening too.

Under the leadership of the focal point, the SUN MSP conducted quarterly coordination meetings of all networks, which has fostered alignment among stakeholders. The NCN is the highest decision-making body on food and nutrition in Nigeria and has been institutionalized in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning as the secretariat responsible for multisectoral coordination with stakeholders and partners. The NCN is chaired by the Vice-President and has helped make nutrition a priority issue on the Government’s agenda. There is still limited accountability for nutrition financing and poor domestic mobilization of resources for nutrition in the country.