By Obinna Uballa
Nigeria has been ranked 115th out of 125 countries on the latest Global Hunger Index (GHI), underscoring a worsening food security crisis driven by surging inflation, widespread poverty, and persistent insecurity.
The GHI, which measures hunger at global, regional, and national levels, is based on four key indicators, undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality. Nigeria’s poor performance on all fronts reflects a severe hunger emergency, experts say.
Speaking at the Nutritious Food Fair in Kano on Thursday, the Country Representative of Propcom+ Nigeria, Dr. Adiya Ode, warned that the situation could deteriorate further as over 31.8 million Nigerians are already experiencing acute food insecurity.
Dr. Ode lamented the country’s rising levels of malnutrition and child stunting, calling for urgent and innovative measures to make food more affordable and accessible.
“Our partnerships are the cornerstone of this mission. A good example is the collaboration with the Kano State Government and HarvestPlus, which is strengthening the seed-to-shelf journey of nutrient-dense foods, ensuring that farmers earn more, consumers eat better, and markets grow stronger,” she said.
She reaffirmed Propcom+’s commitment to working with government and private partners to advance climate-smart, market-driven food security solutions, urging investors and policymakers to “join forces to scale innovation and unlock Nigeria’s agrifood potential.”
Also speaking, Dr. Yusuf Dollah Fu’ad, Country Manager of HarvestPlus Nigeria, expressed optimism that Nigeria could still overcome the hunger crisis if the government prioritized nutrient-enriched staple crops to improve productivity among smallholder farmers.
He said food-based solutions offer the most cost-effective and sustainable pathway to combating hidden hunger, especially since “most rural communities consume what they produce.”
“When farmers cultivate nutrient-enriched crops, they gain direct access to the vitamins and micronutrients their families need,” he noted. “But we must better coordinate our nutrition efforts to make lasting progress.”
On his part, Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Yusuf, revealed that the state government had reactivated over 65 Malnutrition Treatment Centres and released over N1 billion in counterpart funding to support ready-to-serve nutrient foods and reduce child stunting.
He said the government’s interventions were part of a broad strategy to tackle the rising rate of malnutrition and child wasting across the state.
