Nigeria's Government Calls for Private Investment in Nutrition

The Federal Government of Nigeria has called for increased investment from private sector operators and financial institutions in the nutrition sector to address malnutrition and boost local production. This appeal was made during a High-Level Private Sector Roundtable Engagement on Nutrition, organized by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President and the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) in Abuja.

Mr. John Owan-Enoh, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, emphasized that nutrition should be prioritized as an industrial and economic issue rather than solely a health concern. He highlighted Nigeria's dual challenge of undernutrition and diet-related diseases, which necessitates urgent action.

The FMITI is working on a National Policy on Food and Nutrition and a Unified Trade Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan to integrate nutrition into industrial policies. Dr. Chris Osa Isokpunwu, the Permanent Secretary of FMITI, reiterated that nutrition impacts productivity and economic development, stressing the need for collaboration across the food value chain.