The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced a thorough review of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition (NPFN), originally designed as a multisectoral framework to achieve optimal nutritional status for all Nigerians by 2025.
With the current policy period now expired and several implementation gaps identified exacerbated by evolving challenges such as rapid population growth, climate change impacts, food system transformations, and persistent malnutrition the government is updating the framework to cover the next decade, from 2026 to 2035.
To advance this process, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning organized a two-day National Validation Meeting in Abuja, convening key stakeholders from sectors including health, agriculture, social protection, water and sanitation, education, and women affairs.
Participants also included development partners such as the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, consultants, and representatives from state governments.
The meeting focused on deliberating and refining the draft revised policy, incorporating stakeholder inputs to ensure it is practical, inclusive, gender-sensitive, climate-smart, and aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration.
The revised document aims to promote healthy diets, reduce all forms of malnutrition (including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases), and enhance the nutritional well-being of vulnerable groups such as women, children, adolescents, and the elderly.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Deborah O. N. Odoh, described the review as a critical milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s food and nutrition security.
She highlighted the highly consultative nature of the process, led by a Steering Committee inaugurated in March 2025, and emphasized that the updated policy will serve as a 10-year blueprint guiding coordinated interventions at national and sub-national levels.
The Director of Nutrition, Mrs. Clementina Okoro, underscored the revised policy's centrality to national goals on malnutrition reduction and commended collaborative efforts from all partners throughout the review.
The draft revised policy is slated for presentation to the National Council on Nutrition Nigeria’s highest decision-making body on nutrition matters for final consideration and approval on January 28, 2026.
This initiative reflects the government’s renewed commitment to evidence-based, multisectoral approaches to tackle food insecurity, boost workforce productivity, support economic recovery, and build resilience against emerging threats, ensuring sustainable nutritional improvements for all citizens in the coming decade.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com