Strengthening nutrition, health, and food security in Nigeria: policy and programming alignment for innovation scaling

Osei-Amponsah, Charity; Gurmu, M.; Twine, E.

Strengthening nutrition, health, and food security in Nigeria: policy and programming alignment for innovation scaling

Autores

Osei-Amponsah, Charity

Gurmu, M.

Twine, E.

Editor

International Water Management Institute
CGIAR Scaling for Impact Program

Descripción

Nigeria faces a deepening crisis in nutrition, health and food security, driven by high levels of malnutrition, climate vulnerability, poverty, and weak institutional systems. Despite having an extensive set of national policies and programs such as the National Multi-Sectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition (NMPFAN), the Agricultural Sector Food Security and Nutrition Strategy (AFSNS), and the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), implementation remains weak. The report reviews 23 policies and 24 institutional programs, revealing strong aspirational commitments but limited actionable demand. Only a fraction of policies include clear budgets, coordinated implementation plans, or mechanisms for scaling innovations. Key gaps include fragmented governance, inadequate financing, weak monitoring and evaluation systems, and insufficient focus on sub-national realities. Agriculture and health budgets fall far below continental commitments, contributing to low program effectiveness. Many innovations such as biofortified crops, digital agriculture solutions, and climate-smart technologies, exist but remain under-scaled due to poor institutional readiness. The report concludes that CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact (S4I) program is well positioned to bridge the gap between policy intent and practical implementation by supporting evidence-based decision-making, strengthening institutional capacity, improving data systems, and co-designing bundled innovations with government, donors, and private sector partners to achieve sustainable, large-scale impact across Nigeria’s agrifood systems.