A five-year nutrition action plan that will help to reduce hunger and malnutrition across the country has been approved by the federal government.
According to the spokesman to the Vice President Laolu Akande, the plan was approved by the National Council on Nutrition which is chaired by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Other members of the Council include Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Health Minister, Minister of Water Resources, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, development partners, organized private sector, Civil Society Organisations, the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido, among others.
The plan will help in the implementation of interventions and programmes to address the problems of hunger and malnutrition across all sectors in Nigeria.
The statement added;
“The approved plan will reduce the proportion of people who suffer malnutrition by 50%; increase exclusive breastfeeding rate to 65%,” the statement said. “It will also reduce stunting rate among under-five year olds to 18% by 2025 through the scaling up of priority high impact nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions.
“The plan recommends the adoption and implementation of strategies aimed at improving the nutritional status of Nigerians by tackling under nutrition and stunting, among others.”
