Over 31.8 million Nigerians, particularly women and children, are currently grappling with severe hunger and malnutrition, a crisis driven by skyrocketing food prices and exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidies and ongoing security challenges.
This alarming situation was highlighted in a report by the 2024 Cadre Harmonise, which emphasized the precarious state of millions of Nigerians.
On Monday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed in its Selected Food Prices Watch for July 2024 that the prices of staple foods have surged by over 200% in the past year.
The report noted that the average retail price of 1kg of brown beans has skyrocketed to N2,444.81, marking a staggering 262.98% increase from the N673.53 price in July 2023. Similarly, the cost of 1kg of garri, a staple food in many Nigerian households, has risen by 167.98%, climbing from N429.89 in July 2023 to N1,151.79 in July 2024.
At a two-day Joint Review Meeting in Abuja, development partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), GAIN, GIZ, and Agsys, sounded the alarm that Nigeria could face one of the worst cases of human starvation in history if urgent actions are not taken.
These stakeholders advocated for a multi-sectoral approach to tackle food security challenges, stressing the importance of involving civil society organizations and the private sector to extend the reach of nutrition efforts.
Despite the dire warnings, the development partners pledged their unwavering support to transform Nigeria’s food system.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Emeka Vitalis Obi, who opened the meeting, stated that the primary objective was to discuss the status of the implementation of food transformation pathways and to allow various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to present updates on their activities.
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Sanjo Faniran, National Convenor of Food Systems in Nigeria and Director of Social Development at the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, commended the dedication of all stakeholders in advancing Nigeria’s food system.
He noted that the review meeting aimed to identify gaps, successes, and challenges, offer recommendations, and facilitate peer review among MDAs.
The technical session included presentations on various aspects of food systems transformation, such as an Overview of Food Systems Transformation Implementation Strategy by Dr. Sanjo Faniran, Enhancing Multi-Sectoral Collaboration for Food Systems Transformation by Prof. Kola Anigo, and Financing and Resource Mobilization for Food Systems Transformation by FAO.
However, Youth Engagement in Food Systems was presented by Mr. Azeez Salawu, along with progress reports on implementation by the 24 MDAs in attendance.
