Nigeria Partners US-Based Organisation to Tackle Child Malnutrition

The Federal Government is partnering with US-based organisation, Operation End Starvation, to strengthen Nigeria’s efforts to combat hunger, acute child malnutrition and deaths caused by starvation, with plans to make the country a major focus of the initiative over the next two years.

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, gave assurances of the government’s commitment to the initiative when she received a delegation from the organisation, led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, in Abuja.

The partnership is expected to support existing government programmes aimed at improving nutrition, particularly among children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, while mobilising additional resources to address the country’s malnutrition burden.

Speaking during the meeting, Pate said Nigeria was intensifying efforts to reduce the reported 6.4 million cases of acute child malnutrition through established government frameworks and collaborations with development partners.

He noted that the recently concluded rollout of the National Community Food Bank Programme, implemented in partnership with the Office of the First Lady, was already making a positive impact across the six geopolitical zones.

According to him, the government is committed to building on existing interventions and expanding support for vulnerable populations affected by hunger and nutritional deficiencies.

“A lot of good things are already happening in the country,” the minister said, emphasising the need to strengthen ongoing programmes through strategic partnerships.

$1bn Annual Funding Target

The Chief Executive Officer of Operation End Starvation, Williams Holdsworth Moore, said the initiative was designed to mobilise more than $1 billion annually to prevent child deaths associated with starvation and acute malnutrition.

He explained that the programme, supported by a macro grant from the United States Government and contributions from global philanthropists, was seeking to build partnerships with governments and other stakeholders to deliver large-scale interventions.

Moore said the organisation intended to mobilise $1 billion to combat starvation across sub-Saharan Africa within the next two years, with Nigeria positioned as a major focus of its activities.

“We want to move one billion dollars to end starvation in the next two years across sub-Saharan Africa. The burden is high, but the capacity is also very high,” he said.

He added that the US State Department had approved Nigeria’s inclusion in the programme’s outlook, following engagements with the country’s health authorities.

The organisation’s chief executive commended the Nigerian health team for its expertise and commitment to tackling malnutrition, describing it as one of the best teams the organisation had encountered during its engagements.

“The foundation is impressed by Nigeria’s focus on combating acute malnutrition, and we are seeking partnership for this global ‘Operation End Starvation’ programme,” he said.

Nigeria Has Capable Health Professionals, Says First Lady

Responding to the proposed partnership, Tinubu praised the expertise and dedication of professionals working across Nigeria’s public sector, particularly in the health and education ministries.

She said her collaboration with Pate, other health officials and relevant government institutions had reinforced her confidence in the capacity of Nigerian professionals to deliver results when provided with the necessary support.

“It’s been a delight working with Prof. Pate, Dr. Muyi and others. I also work with the Ministry of Education and others. The manpower we have now in the Ministries is so wonderful,” she said.

The First Lady stressed that Nigeria deserved substantial support to address its development challenges, adding that the ongoing reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were aimed at overhauling the system and moving the country towards its goals.

She maintained that investments in Nigeria’s health and social development sectors would benefit both the immediate beneficiaries and the country as a whole.

“Nigeria deserves better, and there is nothing we give to her that is too much because if the system works, it will ultimately come back to us,” she said.

Tinubu also assured the visiting delegation that assistance provided through the partnership would be put to effective use by the country’s health authorities.

“I assure you that whatever aid you give us, this health team would put it to good use,” she added.

Government Framework To Support Implementation

Operation End Starvation is an initiative of the Eleanor Crook Foundation, which focuses on combating child malnutrition and preventing deaths caused by starvation across sub-Saharan Africa.

The organisation’s proposed engagement with Nigeria is intended to demonstrate the impact of large-scale investments delivered through direct partnerships with governments.

By making Nigeria a primary focus over the next two years, the initiative aims to support efforts to tackle acute malnutrition while strengthening collaboration between public institutions, international organisations and philanthropic partners.

The proposed partnership comes as Nigeria continues to confront the challenge of ensuring that vulnerable children and mothers have access to adequate nutrition and essential health services.

Acute malnutrition can have serious consequences for children, including impaired physical growth, weakened immunity and an increased risk of death. Pregnant women and lactating mothers are also particularly vulnerable to the effects of inadequate nutrition.

The success of the proposed collaboration will depend on how effectively financial resources are mobilised, coordinated with existing government programmes and directed towards communities most affected by hunger.

The Federal Government’s National Community Food Bank Programme is among the interventions expected to provide an existing framework for extending assistance to vulnerable households across the country.

With the proposed international partnership, the government hopes to strengthen its response to malnutrition and improve outcomes for children and mothers.

The engagement also highlights the importance of combining domestic expertise and public-sector programmes with international financial support to address one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health and social development challenges