Nigeria

Summary of needs

In 2025, it is projected that approximately 2.55 million children under the age of five will likely suffer from acute malnutrition; of these, 1 million are expected to be severely malnourished. In addition, 309,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG) are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition during the year. In the absence of sustained nutrition assistance, the risk of mortality or lifelong disabilities for survivors may significantly increase, aggravated by worsening food and economic crises, the scarcity of healthy diets, conflict-induced displacements, poverty, outbreaks of communicable diseases, childhood infectious diseases, the impacts of flooding, and a dysfunctional health system. The overall objective of the Nutrition Sector response is to provide integrated preventative and treatment services to mitigate a deterioration in the nutrition situation and support recovery for those already malnourished.

Response strategy

The Sector will scale up preparedness/anticipatory actions ahead of the lean season, including acute malnutrition risk analysis and monitoring; rehabilitation of non-functional stabilization centres; capacity- building of community nutrition mobilizers and front- line staff; activation and strengthening of LGA-level coordination; procurement and prepositioning of specially formulated foods; skilled maternal, infant and young child nutrition counselling; promotion of Mother-MUAC and Porridge Mum approaches, and Tom Brown; supplemental nutrition assistance; cash and voucher assistance; and augmentation of bed capacity in existing stabilization centres. The Sector will accelerate the response during the peak of acute malnutrition (May to September) – the period that coincides with the rainy season and associated outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea, cholera and measles. The package of services will include early detection and treatment of severe and moderate acute malnutrition, and preventative activities, while ensuring an integrated intersectoral response and the use of simplified approaches to deliver services through mobile teams and rapid response mechanisms in extremely hard-to-reach wards.

Targeting & prioritization

The Nutrition Sector response will primarily target children aged 0-59 months and PBWG, including those with disabilities, with preventative and curative services. The Sector will prioritize implementation of life-saving nutrition activities (integrated preventative and curative services), targeting LGAs classified as IPC Acute Malnutrition Phase 3 and above (‘serious’ or ‘critical’). Hard-to-reach and extremely hard-to-reach wards and LGAs with large IDP and returnee populations will also be prioritized for nutrition assistance.

Promoting accountable, quality & inclusive programming

The Nutrition Sector will strengthen AAP by ensuring that aid providers and other stakeholders use resources ethically and responsibly to prioritize the needs of affected populations and "put people at the centre" of humanitarian actions. The focus will be on delivering assistance that achieves optimal outcomes for all groups impacted by crises. The Sector will accomplish this by consistently applying technical and quality standards, providing unhindered access to services, and coordinating actions to maximize coverage while minimizing risks, gaps and duplication. The Sector will encourage its partners to actively engage with affected communities by systematically collecting, analyzing and acting upon feedback and complaints to inform decision-making and adjust responses accordingly – thereby helping to enhance two-way communication between communities and humanitarian actors. The Sector will also ensure that protection services, gender-sensitive approaches and inclusive programming are integrated across all interventions to address the specific needs of different groups.

Cost of response

The Nutrition Sector’s response costs include the procurement and distribution of specially formulated foods, drugs and equipment. As a service-oriented response, it requires huge investment in technical support, capacity-building, nutrition supplies, logistics (clearance, warehousing, handling and transport) and programme management. Recent high inflation and a rise in the cost of living have resulted in demands to increase salaries or incentives to attract and retain qualified nutrition staff, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas. The cost of the response has remained high because of the severity and burden of acute malnutrition and the need to improve the quality of evidence generation, including regular nutrition assessments. The cost-per-beneficiary is based on the Sector’s agreed cost, taking into consideration the rate of inflation.