Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0

active

Nigeria is Africa’s largest country (over 200 million people) and largest economy (nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$405 billion in 2020). Endowed with an abundance of resources and a young and dynamic society, it has the potential to be a giant on the global stage. However, with over 40 percent of its population (over 80 million people) living in poverty and a Human Capital Index of 0.36, the country harbors the largest number of people living below the poverty line and some of the worst Human Capital Indices. Foundational to this, Nigeria grapples with a daunting triple burden of malnutrition with stunting rates ranking bottom 10 globally. Nigeria accounts for the second largest number of stunted children in the world, and the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa; a quarter of the global figure of wasted children and extremely high proportions of micronutrient deficiencies. In 2024, the Food and Nutrition Security situation in Nigeria has worsened with at least 31.8 million people projected to be in crisis or emergency phases indicating household food consumption gaps in and addressing food needs through negative coping strategies. The situation confounds an already severe baseline of malnutrition with wasting rates at 7% and stunting rates at 37% and indicated to be regressing emanating from food insecurity, poor access to healthcare, climate shocks, conflict and poverty. Such a growing food and nutrition crisis threatens future economic growth by constraining human capital accumulation. Addressing this protracted development challenge will require concerted and coordinate action through a whole-of-government and whole-of society approach that tackles multidimensional drivers.The Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria Project was designed as the first slice of a long-term engagement of the Government of Nigeria, to tackle malnutrition. Performance-Based Contracts supported the the delivery of a Basic Package of Nutrition Services comprising of evidence-based, high impact, prioritized interventions to improve maternal, adolescent and child nutrition. A complementary package of maternal nutrition services were rolled out through primary healthcare centres. The operation also tested the multisectoral convergence of nutrition interventions whilst incentivizing government channels for improved coordination, stewardship and accountability. The positive results from the ANRiN operation are indicative of the potential impact that could be recorded if interventions are prioritized, targeted and scaled in the right geographies.ANRiN 2.0 will draw lessons from the first operation to scale and sustain the foundation laid for nutrition programming through two components. Component 1 will focus on the deployment of a Basic Package of Nutrition Services in primary healthcare facilities and at community level. Component 2 which will scale-up multisectoral convergence interventions that promote food availability, improve household dietary diversity and build resilience across key sectors. Behaviour change interventions will straddle both Components 1 and 2. Component 3 will support multisectoral coordination and accountability actions.