The World Bank has announced the approval of $50 million to help address issues affecting food and nutrition in Nigeria
World Bank’s country director of Nigeria, Dr Ndiame Diop, made this statement during a meeting with Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, November 5.
Diop explained that the funding is allocated for the second phase of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, which is part of a crisis response initiative.
During the meeting, Trina Haque, the World Bank’s practice manager for health, nutrition and population, emphasized the importance of providing nutrition education to children and adolescents, highlighting its crucial role in early childhood development.
Vice President, Kashim Shettima then reiterated Nigeria’s dedication to tackling its escalating nutrition challenges through a community-based approach designed to improve nutrition outcomes across all 774 local government areas (LGAs) in the country.
He introduced the N-774 initiative, which draws on the successful results of the ANRiN project.
Shettima also noted that the N-774 initiative is especially timely, given the impending conclusion of the ANRiN project.
He said, “The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is pioneering a paradigm shift in nutrition programmes through locally owned solutions.
“The N-774 Initiative represents our commitment to community-driven development and sustainable nutrition outcomes.”
Shettima noted that the N-774 initiative is a community-focused approach designed to address the specific needs of each LGA.
Its goal is to deliver nutrition interventions directly to communities, foster local involvement and ensure long-term sustainability.
“Malnutrition is a Nigerian problem that needs a Nigerian solution and president Bola Ahmed Tinubu is very much willing to support such an initiative.
“The project integrates nutrition goals across education, agriculture, health and social protection sectors,” Shettima added.
Regarding the project implementation strategy, he emphasized the importance of harnessing the current political commitment to improve the country’s poor nutrition indicators.
“The renewed hope administration is committed to swift, impactful results through this innovative approach to nutrition intervention.
“With sustained collaboration between the federal and sub-national governments and international partners, we are confident this initiative will yield significant improvements in our community health outcomes,” The Vice President concluded.
The World Bank approved three new financing packages totaling $1.57 billion on Monday, September 30 so as to support crucial sectors in Nigeria.
According to the international institution, the funds are intended to help the federal government enhance human capital by improving health outcomes for women, children and adolescents.
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