Nutrition investment critical to Nigeria’s economic productivity— NSN

The Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) has urged the nation to invest more in nutrition, asserting that enhanced access to nutritious food is crucial for bolstering Nigeria's workforce, productivity, and economic growth. This advocacy was voiced at the 56th Annual Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the society in Lagos.

The conference gathered government officials, nutrition professionals, researchers, development partners, and private-sector stakeholders to deliberate on approaches to combat malnutrition and enhance Nigeria's food and nutrition systems. NSN Chairperson, His Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, emphasized that nutrition must be viewed as an investment in human capital rather than a side project.

He stressed that malnourished children would find learning challenging, while a malnourished workforce would fail to deliver the productivity needed for Nigeria's economic metamorphosis. Sanusi advocated for greater involvement of the private sector in food fortification, affordability, and responsible marketing. He also pushed for a shift from short-term interventions to sustained investment and called for improved financing and accountability within the nutrition sector.

Sanusi stressed the need to transition from fragmented interventions to coordinated systems capable of delivering enduring results, highlighting local food systems, maternal and child nutrition, adolescent nutrition, food fortification, and nutrition profession regulation as key areas needing more focus. NSN President, Prof. Salisu Abubakar, pointed out that Nigeria's nutrition predicament requires tighter connections between food systems, healthcare, education, social protection, and the private sector.

He noted that businesses could aid through food fortification, workforce nutrition programs, innovations, and investment in local food systems. According to Abubakar, recent nutrition data revealed that 41.1% of Nigerian children under five were stunted, with this figure increasing to 58.2% in the North-West. He highlighted the urgent need for coordinated action across the food and nutrition value chain to transform systems contributing to malnutrition.

NSN Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), underscored the significance of collaboration between regulators, nutritionists, academia, industry, and policymakers. Adeyeye re-emphasized NAFDAC's commitment to ensuring Nigerians have access to safe, nutritious, and properly labeled food.

Through its "Read the Food Label" campaign, NAFDAC is working alongside the NSN to boost consumer awareness.