Participants at the two‑day strategic workshop on a joint advocacy action plan for accelerating progress on women and girls’ nutrition in Nigeria gathered in Abuja. The event, organized by the non‑governmental organization Civil Society‑Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS‑SUNN) in collaboration with FHI Solutions, highlighted the alarming rate of malnutrition among girls, women, and the poor, as well as the inadequate budgetary allocation to nutrition in the country.
Speaking at the workshop, CS‑SUNN Executive Secretary Sunday Okoronkwo warned that malnutrition among women and girls receives insufficient attention. He noted that while nutrition strategies, guidelines, and plans address pregnant and lactating women, they often overlook non‑pregnant, non‑lactating women and adolescent girls—populations that also have critical nutritional needs. Okoronkwo called for a review of policies and strategies to ensure interventions are designed for these groups and for adequate funding to operationalize them. He emphasized that current nutrition funding is grossly inadequate relative to the burden of wasted children and anemic pregnant women.
A global UNICEF report identifies Nigeria as one of the 12 hardest‑hit countries by the worldwide food and nutrition crisis. The agency reported that undernourished adolescent girls and women aged 15‑49 rose from 5.6 million in 2018 to 7.3 million in 2021. Okoronkwo said the workshop aims to map out action plans for nutrition for women and girls, involving coalition members, organizations focused on women and girls, and gender advocates, with the goal of achieving optimal nutrition by 2028.
Former CS‑SUNN Executive Secretary Beatrice Eluaka added that once the workshop’s work plan is developed, advocacy activities will seek to generate funds for its implementation. She stressed the need to improve the quality of life for women and girls regarding nutrition, noting that past efforts have focused mainly on mothers, children, and pregnant women, while neglecting girl children, adolescents, and women who are not mothers. Eluaka reiterated the organization’s call for an adequate budget for the national nutrition plan, pointing out that even when a budget line exists, the allocated funds are insufficient. She affirmed that CS‑SUNN will continue advocating to mobilize additional funding from the government, international donors, and private organizations.
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