NATIONAL MULTI-SECTORAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION (NMPFAN) 2021 - 2025

Abstract

Malnutrition has multifaceted causes and requires solutions that are multidisciplinary and multisectoral, cutting across various sectors. According to NDHS (2018) thirty-seven percent of children in Nigeria are stunted, and 19% are severely stunted and childhood mortality rates remain stagnated. Undernutrition in early childhood has serious consequences and contributes to high level of infant mortality. Nigeria has shown commitment to eradicating hunger and malnutrition among her citizens in order to lay a strong foundation for improved standard of living for citizens and socioeconomic development of the nation. The urgent need to scale up high impact and cost effective nutrition interventions to reduce the worsening nutrition situation in Nigeria as demonstrated by the Nigeria’s signing unto the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) movement in 2011 which justifies the need for the reviewed policy on food and nutrition published in 2016 and the development of a multi-sectoral plan of action. The national food and nutrition policy provides the framework for addressing the problems of food and nutrition insecurity at all levels in Nigeria. This plan of action gives consideration to the increasing recognition of nutrition as a necessary condition for national development as espoused in the Millennium Development Goals and the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Scaling Up Nutrition movement and activities .Malnutrition has multifaceted causes and requires solutions that are multidisciplinary and multisectoral, cutting across various sectors. According to NDHS (2018) thirty-seven percent of children in Nigeria are stunted, and 19% are severely stunted and childhood mortality rates remain stagnated. Undernutrition in early childhood has serious consequences and contributes to high level of infant mortality. Nigeria has shown commitment to eradicating hunger and malnutrition among her citizens in order to lay a strong foundation for improved standard of living for citizens and socioeconomic development of the nation. The urgent need to scale up high impact and cost effective nutrition interventions to reduce the worsening nutrition situation in Nigeria as demonstrated by the Nigeria’s signing unto the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) movement in 2011 which justifies the need for the reviewed policy on food and nutrition published in 2016 and the development of a multi-sectoral plan of action. The national food and nutrition policy provides the framework for addressing the problems of food and nutrition insecurity at all levels in Nigeria. This plan of action gives consideration to the increasing recognition of nutrition as a necessary condition for national development as espoused in the Millennium Development Goals and the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Scaling Up Nutrition movement and activities.