The Federal Government is partnering with a United States-based organisation, Operation End Starvation, to mobilise $1 billion annually to combat child starvation and malnutrition across sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria expected to be a major focus of the initiative over the next two years.
The Chief Executive Officer of Operation End Starvation, Williams Holdsworth Moore, disclosed this during a meeting with the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in Abuja, where a delegation led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, sought collaboration on efforts to tackle hunger and child malnutrition.
Moore said the initiative, supported by a macro grant from the United States Government and contributions from global philanthropists, was designed to prevent child deaths caused by starvation through large-scale investments and direct partnerships with governments.
“The foundation is impressed by Nigeria’s focus on combating acute malnutrition, and we are seeking partnership for this global ‘Operation End Starvation’ programme,” he said.
He explained that the organisation intended to mobilise substantial funding to address starvation across sub-Saharan Africa, stressing that Nigeria had the potential to make significant progress through strategic investments and government collaboration.
“We want to move one billion dollars to end starvation in the next two years across sub-Saharan Africa. The burden is high, but the capacity is also very high,” Moore said.
He added that Nigeria had been approved for inclusion in the organisation’s programme following engagements with relevant authorities in the United States.
“The US State Department approved that Nigeria should be part of our outlook,” he said.
Moore also commended Nigeria’s health sector, describing the country’s health team as one of the strongest the organisation had encountered during its engagements.
“We have met with the Nigerian health team, and they are one of the best of many we have met,” he said.
In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the Federal Government remained committed to reducing the burden of acute child malnutrition through existing policies, programmes and partnerships.
Pate disclosed that the country was working to reduce the estimated 6.4 million cases of acute child malnutrition while improving nutritional support for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
“Nigeria is working hard to scale down its 6.4 million figure of acute child malnutrition, while also attending to the health of pregnant women and lactating mothers,” he said.
The minister noted that the government was already implementing interventions to address hunger and malnutrition, including the National Community Food Bank Programme, which was recently rolled out in partnership with the Office of the First Lady.
According to him, the initiative is making a positive impact across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones by supporting efforts to improve food access and address the needs of vulnerable populations.
“A lot of good things are already happening in the country,” Pate said.
He explained that the proposed partnership with Operation End Starvation would complement existing government interventions and strengthen efforts to tackle the country’s nutritional challenges.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, welcomed the proposed collaboration, expressing confidence in the capacity of Nigeria’s health professionals and public institutions to deliver results when provided with the necessary support.
Tinubu praised the commitment and expertise of government officials across different ministries, particularly those working in the health and education sectors.
“It’s been a delight working with Prof. Pate, Dr. Muyi and others. I also work with the Ministry of Education and others. The manpower we have now in the Ministries is so wonderful,” she said.
The First Lady described the ongoing reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as necessary steps towards addressing the country’s development challenges.
She maintained that Nigeria had the human resources and institutional capacity to achieve its development objectives, provided the right policies and partnerships were sustained.
“Nigeria deserves better, and there is nothing we give to her that is too much because if the system works, it will ultimately come back to us,” she said.
Tinubu further assured the visiting delegation that any assistance provided through the proposed partnership would be utilised effectively by the country’s health team.
“I assure you that whatever aid you give us, this health team would put it to good use,” the First Lady added.
Operation End Starvation, an initiative of the Eleanor Crook Foundation, is a public-private partnership programme focused on ending child malnutrition and preventing deaths caused by starvation across sub-Saharan Africa.
The organisation plans to make Nigeria a primary focus over the next two years to demonstrate the impact of large-scale investments delivered through direct partnerships with governments.
The proposed collaboration is expected to support Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to reduce acute child malnutrition, strengthen nutrition interventions and improve health outcomes for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.