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Malnutrition: Nigeria Ranked First In Africa, Second Worldwide

Published

1 year ago

October 14, 2024

The United Nations Children’s Fund said Nigeria ranks first in Africa and second worldwide in the number of malnourished children.

The Chief of Nutrition for UNICEF Nigeria, Nemat Hajeebhoy, said this on Monday at the ongoing three-day collaborative meeting between the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and the state nutrition managers.

Hajeebhoy said, “When we look at Nigeria, we see that in Nigeria, we have between 35 and 45 million children under five years of age. Now, when we look at children and we say they are malnourished, if they’re not doing well, we say they are malnourished, and you have different types of malnutrition. You have about 12 million children who we say are stunted, which means they are short in terms of their height for their age.

“We have about nine million children who are wasted, which means they’re too thin for their height, and then we have about 24-25 million children who are anaemic, which means they do not have enough iron, or their blood is not healthy. So, with these numbers, Nigeria is number one in the continent and second in the world, after India. So in Nigeria, we need to all come together to address this issue, because if we address the issue in Nigeria, we address it for West Africa, we address it for the continent.”

She, however, said 43 million Nigerian children have received vitamin A supplements.

“During the maternal, newborn, child health week campaigns that were held in all the states of the country in May, June, July and August to deliver vitamin A supplementation, deworming tablets to children under five, iron, folic acid or multiple micronutrient supplements to pregnant women, I’m delighted to share that 43 million children receive vitamin A supplements this time. This is the first time in Nigeria we have had such a high number.

“We also see that all 36 states unlocked resources to get deworming tablets given to children. And 19 million children were reached with deworming tablets. We also see that over two million pregnant women receive supplements of either iron and folic acid or a multiple micronutrient tablet, and this is very important to enable them to be healthy and for the growth of their children.

“What I am hopeful for is that the next round of MNC week which will happen between mid-November and mid-December, that we can have the support from the states, mothers, fathers, grandparents, so that we can reach the same numbers in the second round. If we achieve this, then we will have achieved results for Nigeria, for West Africa, for the continent and the world,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Director and Head of the Nutrition Department, FMoHSW, Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, noted that efforts are being made by the Federal Government to check the progress made and prioritise activities that will improve nutrition in the country.

She said, “Nigeria has the highest burden in Africa and the second highest in the world but the government is collaborating with other stakeholders to change that narrative, and we have put in place quite several strategies.

“We have the coordination team through which we interact with stakeholders every quarter to find out what everyone is doing, and the challenges. We are also ensuring that this coordination that is being strengthened at the federal level, it’s also being strengthened at the state level.”

She added that the government was also building the capacity of providers and has trained over 2,000 master trainers on maternal infant and young child feeding practices.

“Right now, the Federal Government is supporting the states to plan for the training of the secondary facility providers on maternal and infant and young child feeding practices.

“What we need to see for nutrition is to leverage that momentum and make sure that every child is well nourished, especially during the first 1000 days of life.

“All stakeholders need to come together and invest in that age, because if we don’t, then we compromise the child for life,” she stated.

The Deputy Director, Nutrition, NPHCDA, Dr Ogechi Akalonu noted that there is a need for strategies for improving the nutritional status in the country.

She said, “It is a good meeting to ensure that nutrition is visible and top of the national agenda.

“So we need to come together to strategise on how best to improve the nutritional status of women and children.”

On his part, the Country Director, Nutrition International, Dr Osita Okonkwo

emphasised the need to increase funding to ensure the implementation of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health campaigns.

Okonkwo, who was represented by the Programme Officer, Child Health and Nutrition, Junaidu Sani reiterated the organisation’s commitment to supporting the government in the implementation of the MNCH.

Headline

Why Europe Is Blocking More Nigerian Goods At Its Borders

Published

5 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

Nigeria’s exports continue to face repeated rejection in European Union markets, a challenge caused by consistent quality failures, weak regulatory enforcement, and heavy dependence on raw commodities.

New trade figures further show that while export values expressed in naira have risen sharply, dollar earnings have continued to decline, undermining Nigeria’s competitiveness abroad.

Meanwhile, South Africa remains one of the African countries with the highest rate of export acceptance in Nigeria and the EU, highlighting the gaps between both economies’ standards and certification systems.

According to data from International Trade Centre (ITC) , Nigeria’s export earnings fell for a second consecutive year in 2024, dropping by 8.5% to $57.9 billion.

The figure had already declined from $63.3 billion in 2022 to $60.65 billion in 2023. In naira terms, however, total exports rose from ₦26.8 trillion in 2022 to ₦36 trillion in 2023 and surged to ₦77.4 trillion in 2024.

These increases reflect the naira’s steep depreciation, not an improvement in the volume or acceptance of Nigerian goods overseas.

Intelpoint data show that the naira weakened from ₦645.2 to the dollar at the end of 2023 to ₦1,478.9 in 2024, marking the sharpest yearly decline in a decade.

EU border agencies have repeatedly rejected Nigerian agricultural and manufactured goods for failing to meet essential sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.

Frequent violations include excessive pesticide residue, poor traceability, contamination detected during inspection, and inconsistencies in certification documentation issued in Nigeria.

These failures stem largely from fragmented supply chains, weak monitoring capacity and a lack of internationally accredited laboratories.

South Africa, Morocco and Kenya maintain far stronger conformity systems, and South Africa in particular consistently delivers some of the highest acceptance rates across EU ports.

The ITC figures show that oil remains the backbone of Nigeria’s exports, contributing nearly 90 per cent of total earnings between 2022 and 2024. Over that period, the country earned $163.2 billion from crude oil out of total export revenues of $181.8 billion.

Despite this dominance, oil earnings have continued to fall, declining from $57.4 billion in 2022 to $55.6 billion in 2023 and then to $50.3 billion in 2024.

Because crude prices are determined externally and the product is exported with limited value addition, Nigeria gains little competitive advantage from currency depreciation.

Non-oil exports recorded mixed fortunes. Cocoa earnings rose from $679 million in 2022 to $759 million in 2023 and climbed sharply to $2.6 billion in 2024.

Fertiliser exports fell from $1.9 billion in 2022 to $935.4 million in 2024. Ores and residues, however, increased from $158.6 million in 2023 to $824.4 million in 2024.

Despite positive growth in some sectors, quality problems have continued to undermine acceptance in Europe, particularly for foods such as beans, palm oil and processed crops.

Nigeria recorded stronger performance in African markets in 2024 due to the relative strength of the West African CFA franc.

Companies such as Unilever Nigeria, Cadbury Nigeria and Guinness Nigeria reported export sales of ₦22.8 billion in 2024, up from ₦9.92 billion in the preceding year. EU markets, however, maintain stricter inspection standards, and Nigeria’s structural weaknesses continue to limit penetration.

The country’s export structure remains heavily constrained by outdated processing technology, weak inspection capacity, irregular regulatory monitoring, and an overreliance on raw commodities.

Also, pipeline vandalism and crude theft also prevent Nigeria from meeting its production benchmark of 1.7 million barrels per day, despite a rise to 1.5 million barrels per day in 2024.

In December 2023, the Federal Government introduced the Trade Policy of Nigeria (2023–2027), aimed at aligning export regulations with World Trade Organisation rules and boosting global competitiveness.

The policy forms part of a wider reform agenda tied to the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025) and Agenda 2050.

Despite these initiatives, limited investment in quality assurance, industrial processing and standards enforcement continues to weaken Nigeria’s acceptance in high-value markets such as the EU.

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US Imposes Visa Restrictions On Nigerians Linked To Religious Freedom Violations

Published

8 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The United States government on Wednesday announced visa restrictions targeting individuals involved in violations of religious freedom in Nigeria. The measures may also extend to immediate family members of the affected persons.

In a statement titled “Combating Egregious Anti-Christian Violence in Nigeria and Globally”, the Department of State said the restrictions were being implemented in response to mass killings and attacks on Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and elsewhere.

The statement explained that under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the State Department would now have the authority to deny visas to those who have “directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom,” with the policy potentially extending to their immediate family members.

It further cited former President Donald Trump’s remarks, noting that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries.” The policy will apply to Nigeria and other governments or individuals implicated in violations of religious freedom.

The announcement follows growing international concern over attacks on religious communities in Nigeria, including targeted killings, abductions, and destruction of property attributed to armed groups.

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Putin Says Russia Ready For War, Blames Europe For Sabotaging Peace

Published

1 day ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was “ready” for war if Europe seeks one, accusing the continent’s leaders of trying to sabotage a deal on the Ukraine conflict before he met with US envoys.

The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Moscow for high-stakes talks on ending the nearly four-year war, which were preceded by days of intense diplomacy.

“We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now,” Putin told reporters in Moscow.

“They have no peaceful agenda, they are on the side of war,” he added, repeating his claim that European leaders were hindering US attempts to broker peace in Ukraine.

He added that European changes to Trump’s latest plan to end the war “aimed solely at one thing — to completely block the entire peace process and put forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia”.

Washington has presented a 28-point draft to end the conflict, later amended after criticism from Kyiv and Europe, which viewed it as heeding to many of Russia’s maximalist demands.

The plan to end the war is championed by Trump, but European countries fear it risks forcing Kyiv to cave in to Russian demands, notably on territory.

Fearing further Russian aggression, Europe has repeatedly said an unfair peace should not be imposed on Ukraine.

The Trump envoys are now seeking to finalise the plan with the approval of Moscow and Kyiv.
AFP