Nigeria's Minister of Education, Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa, has emphasized the crucial role the education sector must play in addressing child malnutrition. Speaking at the Ethiopia–Nigeria Leadership Exchange on Moving the Needle on Nutrition in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Alausa identified school feeding, school health, nutrition education, and improved access to quality education as key components of the Federal Government's Nutrition 774 Initiative.
The Nutrition 774 Initiative aims to translate Nigeria's national nutrition priorities into practical interventions across the country's 774 local government areas, particularly for children, families, and communities most in need. Alausa stressed that effective implementation requires coordinated action across education, health, agriculture, planning, and other relevant sectors, as well as clearly defined responsibilities, adequate financing, reliable data, and strong monitoring mechanisms.
Alausa highlighted school feeding as a practical way the education sector can contribute to improving children's nutrition while encouraging school attendance and retention. He also emphasized the importance of nutrition education, noting that integrating nutrition-related studies into Nigeria's revised school curriculum will equip children with knowledge about healthy eating, wellbeing, and healthy lifestyles.
The Minister's proposed contribution to Nutrition 774 includes school feeding, school health, nutrition education, and measures to strengthen access to quality education and school participation. These interventions are expected to form part of local government multisectoral plans of action for food and nutrition, with relevant education indicators proposed for inclusion in the initiative's local government scorecard.
Alausa disclosed that the Ministry's proposed interventions align with the National Policy on Food and Nutrition, which seeks to increase school-feeding coverage from 33 percent to 60 percent of primary-school children by 2035. He also called for greater attention to early childhood care and development beyond the first 1,000 days of a child's life, as nutritional, health, and developmental needs remain critical throughout early childhood development.
The Minister stressed the importance of reliable and integrated data for effective nutrition planning and implementation. He welcomed the opportunity to learn from Ethiopia's experience in coordinating nutrition interventions and mobilizing domestic resources, but emphasized that lessons from Ethiopia must be adapted to Nigeria's peculiar circumstances and institutional realities.
Alausa reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education's commitment to working with relevant ministries, state governments, local government authorities, and development partners to advance education-related interventions under the Nutrition 774 Initiative. He emphasized that sustained progress in reducing malnutrition depends on effective collaboration among government institutions, appropriate financing, and stronger implementation arrangements.
Key points
- The Nigerian Education Minister calls for a stronger role for the education sector in tackling child malnutrition.
- The Federal Government's Nutrition 774 Initiative aims to address child malnutrition across 774 local government areas.
- The Minister proposes school feeding, school health, nutrition education, and improved access to quality education as critical components of the initiative.
