Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has disclosed that Nigeria now accounts for the highest number of severely malnourished children treated by the organisation globally.
MSF’s Country Representative, Ahmed Aldikhari, revealed that nearly 300,000 children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) were admitted into MSF outpatient programmes across northern Nigeria in 2024 alone.
“This represents more than half of all MSF admissions worldwide,” Mr Aldikhari said on Thursday in Abuja at a High-Level Conference on Mobilising Against Malnutrition in Katsina and the North-West, convened by the Katsina State Government in partnership with MSF.
He attributed the surge to Nigeria’s large population, persistent food insecurity and the widening “hunger gap” across the Sahel.
$56 billion in human capital lost annually — Shettima
Also speaking at the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima described malnutrition as a “silent crisis” that poses a serious threat to national development.
Represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwukah, he warned that Nigeria loses an estimated $56 billion annually in human capital due to poor nutrition.
“When a nation’s children suffer from stunted growth, its future becomes stunted,” he said, arguing that every dollar invested in nutrition yields a return of $23. “Nutrition is not a cost; it is perhaps our most strategic investment.”
Mr Shettima reaffirmed federal support for the Nutrition 774 Initiative, which seeks to decentralise interventions to the local government level. He urged participants to convert the conference’s resolutions into actionable deliverables.
Katsina targets local solutions
Governor Dikko Radda said his administration is moving from “awareness to action,” announcing that over ₦14 billion has been invested in the state’s health sector in 2024, reflecting an 87 per cent budget performance.
He outlined specific measures already implemented, including a ₦1 billion contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund with UNICEF (2023–2025), upgrades of 260 Primary Healthcare Centres and seven general hospitals, recruitment of more than 1,600 frontline health workers, and enrolment of 504,000 residents under the state health insurance scheme.
Mr Radda further revealed plans to establish factories in Katsina to produce Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and Tom-Brown flour, both used in treating child malnutrition.
“To ensure sustainability, we must produce local solutions that stimulate our economy and create jobs,” he said.
The governor added that the state is considering extending maternity leave to six months and enforcing the Child Protection Law to address social drivers of malnutrition.
The conference attracted representatives of the diplomatic community, including the German Ambassador, Annette Günther; the European Union Ambassador, Gauthier Mignot; and the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mohammed Fall.
