By Lucy Ogalue
The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi), is seeking to unlock investment and local value addition in Nigeria’s food sector.
The Minister of State for Industry, Sen. John Enoh, disclosed this at a high-level private-sector roundtable on nutrition in Abuja on Wednesday.
The initiative aims to leverage the Nutrition 774 Initiative to promote food industrialisation, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) development, private investment, job creation and stronger domestic food value chains.
According to Enoh, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) will develop a Unified Trade Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan.
He said the ministry would also conduct a national multi-stakeholder mapping exercise to identify private-sector capabilities and address bottlenecks across the food and nutrition value chain.
According to him, the initiative will provide an actionable roadmap for nutrition-driven industrial development while strengthening private-sector participation.
Enoh said the government was repositioning nutrition from a health and humanitarian concern to a critical industrial and economic priority.
He said Nigeria’s agricultural resources, including cassava, legumes, cocoa, oil palm, cashew and biofortified crops, could support competitive domestic food industries.
The minister called for technical assistance, modern processing equipment and accessible financing to enable MSMEs to scale their food-processing operations.
He identified Cluster Facility Centres as important platforms for improving food processing, hygienic handling, packaging and compliance with quality standards.
Enoh urged food manufacturers to increase local sourcing and use of biofortified raw materials while improving product formulations and producing affordable fortified foods.
He also called on financial institutions to provide affordable, long-term financing instruments tailored to food-processing MSMEs.
The minister urged development partners and regulatory agencies to strengthen technical assistance, quality assurance, accountability and local procurement.
He said transforming agricultural resources into industrial value would create stronger markets for farmers, expand opportunities for women and youths, generate employment and strengthen domestic manufacturing.
The Permanent Secretary, ministry of Industry, trade and investment, Dr Chris Isokpunwu, described nutrition as an economic and industrial priority with implications for enterprise development, investment, trade and productivity.
Isokpunwu said meaningful progress could not be achieved without the private sector, given its investment capacity, innovation, production networks and market reach.
He said the roundtable would identify opportunities and bottlenecks, map private-sector capabilities and develop practical pathways under the MarketFit Nutrition 2035 framework.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Nutrition, Mrs Uju Anwukah, said sustainable economic development required a healthy and productive population.
Anwukah said the Nutrition 774 Initiative provided a governance and accountability framework for addressing malnutrition across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas.
She said malnutrition affected education, workforce productivity, economic growth and national competitiveness, and required stronger private-sector participation beyond corporate social responsibility.
The Executive Director of ATNi, Greg Garrett, called for nutrition to be placed at the centre of Nigeria’s industrial and economic development agenda.
Garrett said tackling malnutrition required coordinated action across the food system, from farming and processing to manufacturing, distribution and consumption.
He said Nigeria’s agricultural resources and large consumer market presented opportunities to expand local food processing and strengthen linkages between farmers and manufacturers.
Garrett said increased local sourcing could stimulate domestic value chains, create markets for farmers, attract investment and generate employment.
He called for stronger adherence to national and international standards in food production, fortification and quality assurance.
The engagement brought together government officials, private-sector leaders, manufacturers, financial institutions, regulators, development partners and technical experts to explore practical strategies for integrating nutrition into Nigeria’s industrial ecosystem.(NAN)