The Global Alliance For Improved Nutrition (GAIN) said at least 60 to 65 percent of Nigerians are malnourished.
The Policy and Advocacy Associate, GAIN, Ms Toromade Olutayo, gave this report during the training of trainers on improving nutrition and value addition for nutrient-enriched staples on Wednesday in Makurdi.
Nigeria, she revealed, was part of the one billion people in Africa that cannot afford a healthy diet.
The Senior Project Manager, GAIN Supply Chain for Commercialization, Mr Godwin Ehiabhi, asserted that the organization aims at solving the problem of malnutrition in Nigeria, adding that it is working assiduously to ensure that nutritious foods enriched with vitamin A are available, accessible and affordable to Nigerians in all seasons..
He said GAIN was strengthening nutrition in priority staples, stressing that the project was a five- year project that began in 2021 and would end in December 2025.
“In Benue, implementation is in four local government areas namely, Gboko, Makurdi, Gwer and Otukpo respectively.
“The project has three components, bio-fortification, workforce nutrition and business support,” Ehiabhi said.
He then pointed out that bio-fortification targeted the farmers for training, extension services and free input distribution, while workforce nutrition targeted households to enable them adopt nutrition in their homes as well as cooking demonstrations, social behavioural change campaign and home garden.
He said it was targeting sustainability of the project, adding that the trainers would step the training or knowledge acquired down to other LGAs that were not captured by the project.
Some beneficiaries, Mr Sughnen Osugh, Ms Bridget Idyu and Erdoo Jato, appreciated GAIN for impacting their lives, saying it had helped them to enhance their income.