Changes in Nigeria’s enabling environment for nutrition from 2008 to 2019 and challenges for reducing malnutrition

Abstract

Key 2025 global nutrition targets are unlikely to be met at current rates of progress. Although actions necessary to reduce undernutrition are already mostly known, knowledge gaps remain about how to implement these actions in contextually appropriate ways, and at scales commensurate with the magnitude of the problem. This study describes the nutrition enabling environment in Nigeria, a country that contributes significantly to the global undernutrition burden, and identifies potential entry points for improving the enabling environment that could facilitate implementation and scale-up of essential intervention coverage. Study data were obtained from two sources: content analysis of 48 policies/strategies from agriculture, economic, education, environment, health, nutrition, and water/sanitation/hygiene sectors; and interviews at federal level (16) and in two states (Jigawa (10) and Kaduna (9) States). The study finds that aspects of the enabling environment improved between 2008 and 2019 and facilitated improvements in implementation of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. Enabling environment components that improved included the framing of nutrition as a multisectoral issue, nutrition advocacy, political attention, evidence around intervention coverage, civil society involvement, and activity of nutrition champions. These factors have been especially important in creating and sustaining momentum for addressing malnutrition. While challenges remain in these aspects, greater challenges persist for factors needed to convert momentum into improvements in nutrition outcomes. Research and data that facilitate shared understanding of nutrition; improved multisectoral and vertical coordination; increased and improved delivery and operational capacity; and increased resource mobilization will be especially important for achieving future progress in nutrition in Nigeria.

Advancing a Multisectoral Platform for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture in Nigeria: Reflections on Effectiveness and Lessons Learned

“…Capacity gaps have likewise been described for multisectoral nutrition action in Nigeria. 24,32 It is important to improve the high-level and technical ability of relevant sectors to understand their role and plan and execute actions to fulfill this role in the agricultural sector and the overall response to addressing malnutrition in Nigeria. 27,33 Indeed, as was noted by Benson, 6 coordination is only important when multiple sectors are performing their nutrition roles.…”

Government Budget for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture in Nigeria Increased Following Development of Related Strategy

“…The Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), launched in 2003 by the African Union, promotes the development of National Agriculture Investment Plans for Food Security and Nutrition 46 and led to the first agriculture framework in Nigeria that had nutrition considerations, the National Agriculture Investment Plan 2011 to 2014 (NAIP). 47 It is, therefore, possible that the NAIP stimulated the increases in budget for NSA. While the influence of CAADP and the NAIP cannot be denied, because they contributed to birthing the AFSNS, the limited budgetary increases during the active period of the NAIP (2011–2014) suggests that the AFSNS (and later the NMPFAN) played a big role in motivating increased NSA budgets.…”

Fostering an Enabling Environment for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in Nigeria

“…Federal level policies and strategies, including the AFSNS are not binding on States. 21,23,41 There is, therefore, a need to actively ensure state-level buy-in and ownership in addition to federal-level processes. One key mechanism for ensuring vertical coordination within the agriculture sector in Nigeria is through the National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD).…”

“…Agricultural policies prior to 2010 did not explicitly address nutrition and included limited considerations for food security. 18,20,21 Beginning from the National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) 2011-2014 developed in 2010, influenced by the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), 22 and drawing on experiences from a nutrition-sensitive National Programme on Food Security that commenced in 2008, agricultural policies and strategies in Nigeria began to include nutrition objectives, activities, and/ or indicators, 23 leading to intentional implementation of NSA.…”