Gom Mirian
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has stated that Nigeria is still far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger (SDG2), as the country continues to struggle with malnutrition.
Realising SDG 2 to end hunger and malnutrition and ensure access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food will largely depend on promoting sustainable production systems, as well as increasing investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and development.
In a chat with Africa Health Report (AHR) at a two-day workshop on nutrition financing in Nigeria on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Ms Nkeiru Enwelum, UNICEF Nutrition Officer, stressed that Nigeria remained off track to achieving this goal, though the country is probably on track to achieve exclusive breastfeeding by 2030.
Quoting from joint data from the Demographic and Health Survey, 2018, National Population Commission and Population Projections, she said: “17.7 million people are hungry in the country (CH Phase 3-4 of which 1 million people suffer from acute food insecurity (CH Phase 4).
“Lagos, Borno and Kano States have the highest number of people suffering from food insecurity,” she added.
She further emphasised that the first 1,000 days of life are very important for the development of a child, so, the government and parents must invest in the first 1,000 days which is the critical window of opportunity for a child to grow into his or her full potential.
According to her, there should be a budget for nutrition, saying two million children’s lives can be saved by so doing.
