Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

Civil society organisations, government officials and development partners have called for stronger financing, improved coordination and enhanced accountability to tackle malnutrition at the Local Government Area (LGA) level.

KANO FOCUS reports that the call was made at a high-level meeting convened by the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria in collaboration with the State Committee on Food and Nutrition. The meeting brought together representatives of LGAs, relevant ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, media actors and nutrition advocates to review the status of nutrition financing and governance at the grassroots.

Participants described the forum as a strategic platform for dialogue and collective commitment aimed at accelerating progress in addressing malnutrition through strengthened governance structures, sustainable financing and community-driven accountability systems.

Key Concerns Raised

Stakeholders expressed concern over the persistently high burden of malnutrition in several LGAs, noting alarming rates of stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies and maternal malnutrition. They warned that these trends pose serious threats to child survival, cognitive development and long-term productivity.

The meeting also highlighted inadequate and inconsistent budgetary allocations for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions across federal, state and LGA levels. In many cases, participants observed, funds are either insufficient or released irregularly, undermining effective implementation and sustainability of nutrition programmes.

Other challenges identified included weak multi-sectoral coordination among critical sectors such as health, agriculture, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and social protection; limited community engagement and accountability systems; and technical capacity gaps at the LGA level affecting planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting.

Resolutions and Commitments

In response to the identified gaps, stakeholders resolved to prioritise investment in preventive, high-impact, low-cost nutrition interventions while strengthening curative measures at the grassroots. They emphasised that LGA budget allocations should focus more on preventive strategies to reduce long-term costs and save more lives.

Participants also pledged support for scaling up the local production of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) as both a preventive and therapeutic measure against acute malnutrition, while strengthening local economic value chains.

The meeting further resolved to improve budgetary releases for nutrition interventions, reactivate and strengthen Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition (LGCFN), and revitalise coordination mechanisms at state and LGA levels to ensure integrated, evidence-based programming.

Stakeholders committed to facilitating continuous capacity building for LGA nutrition focal persons, civil society organisations and community structures. They also agreed to institutionalise community-led monitoring and social accountability mechanisms to track budget releases and service delivery performance.

In addition, participants called for intensified behaviour change communication campaigns promoting optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), dietary diversity, micronutrient supplementation and maternal nutrition. Traditional, religious and community leaders, as well as women’s groups, are to be engaged as nutrition champions.

Call to Action

The meeting urged state governments to prioritise nutrition in annual budgets, ensure timely release and efficient utilisation of funds, and institutionalise performance tracking mechanisms.

Local Government Authorities were called upon to mainstream nutrition into development plans, strengthen primary healthcare delivery systems, ensure functional Ward Development Committees and reactivate LGCFN platforms.

Development partners were encouraged to sustain and expand technical and financial support in alignment with national and subnational priorities.

Communities and caregivers were advised to adopt improved nutrition practices for children, adolescents, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

The media and civil society organisations were also tasked with institutionalising quarterly budget performance review sessions across the 44 LGAs, publicly recognising high-performing LGAs while constructively engaging those performing below expectations.

Commitment to Action

In their concluding remarks, stakeholders reaffirmed that improving nutrition at the LGA level is urgent and foundational to Nigeria’s socio-economic transformation. They stressed that ending malnutrition requires coordinated action, strong political will, transparent financing, empowered communities and sustained investment.

The communiqué was endorsed by Tijjani M., Mustapha Uba and Aminu Musa Saji of the Ministry for Local Government, as well as Sheriff Abubakar of CS-SUN Kano State.