Abuja: The Federal Government, in collaboration with development partners, has announced a commitment of $30 million to address child malnutrition in Nigeria through the Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) initiative. This significant investment is aimed at providing nutritional support to two million children aged between six and 23 months over a six-month period.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Tope Ogunbi, the Country Director of Evidence Action, revealed this development during the National Training of Trainers (ToT) on SQ-LNS delivery in Abuja. The initiative, which is supported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), targets under-five children in high-burden states to prevent malnutrition. Ogunbi highlighted that the Federal Government has allocated $15 million, with UNICEF matching this amount to procure approximately 600,000 cartons of the supplement. These supplements are intended to help children in food-insecure areas maintain proper growth and development.
Mr. Emmanuel Abatta, Director of Nutrition Information System at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, emphasized that malnutrition, stunting, and wasting remain critical public health concerns in Nigeria. He stated that the programme would train health workers to effectively guide mothers on administering the supplements. The initiative will initially roll out in 20 high-burden states, starting with national-level training before expanding to state and local government levels.
Dr. Lekan Olubajo, Technical Adviser for the Department of Nutrition, noted that this intervention is part of the larger Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) strategy. The SQ-LNS is integrated into complementary feeding as a preventive measure to ensure children do not fall into malnutrition, particularly in food-insecure regions. The supplement, known as Nutributter locally, is fortified with 24 micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, protein, and essential fatty acids, to complement children's diets.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in partnership with UNICEF, Evidence Action, and other partners, has developed a standardized SQ-LNS training manual for health workers across Nigeria. This is to ensure a uniform implementation of the programme. The National ToT event gathered representatives from 20 states, development partners, and health professionals to enhance the capacity for an effective rollout of the SQ-LNS programme nationwide.