WHO Backs Community Food Banks To Tackle Nigeria’s Nutrition Crisis
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
Food insecurity is no longer only a question of whether families have enough to eat; for millions of Nigerian children, it is increasingly about whether the food they can access is nutritious enough to support healthy growth.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has welcomed the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme (NCFBP) for the South-South zone in Calabar, describing it as an important step towards tackling food insecurity and malnutrition.
WHO Nigeria, led by Dr Pavel Ursu, joined First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Pate, UNICEF and other partners at the inauguration.
The programme is designed to bring food and social protection closer to vulnerable households while linking food support with nutrition screening, maternal and child health services, growth monitoring and immunisation.
For WHO, that integration is critical.
Food assistance can do more than fill stomachs when it is connected to primary healthcare and early detection of malnutrition.
The initiative is therefore being positioned as part of Nigeria’s wider push towards Universal Health Coverage, with the ultimate goal of giving children a healthier start and improving their development, learning and long-term wellbeing.
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