Approaches to Enhanced Political Will for Achieving Nutrition-Related Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The year 2015 was set as the target to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),including those that are directly linked with nutrition in Nigeria. However, the chances of meeting this target appear very slim as 2015 is here. Efforts geared towards meeting these targets have recorded little success due to myriads of challenges of which weak political ownership takes a vantage position; coupled with lack of specificity in coordination of nutrition programmes. This has contributed to low level of nutrition development because all the government ministries/agencies where nutrition programmes have been domiciled have their specific goals and nutrition is usually considered as add-on Programme. Objective: To examine tested approaches to achieving nutrition-related MDGs in Nigeria. Method: Review of literature and relevant national documents using a desk-review guide, which was developed in line with the goal of this presentation. Results: International agencies including the World Bank are becoming more involved in nutrition programmes and are passionate of the pivotal role of nutrition in the scheme of national development. However, learning from the success story of nutrition programmes in some sub-Sahara African countries, it is certain that proper coordination of nutrition programmes by an agency solely created by the national government is the missing link in the equation for enhanced nutrition development. Conclusion: Establishment of a full-fledged National Nutrition Council under the Office of the President will be an impetus required to kick-start effective coordination and mainstreaming of nutrition into all developmental agenda. This is in line with the global practice of scaling-up nutrition programmes at the national level.