2.5 million Nigerian children under the age of 5 years are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
This figure places Nigeria as the country with the second highest number of stunted children in the world.
This disclosure was made by Prince Clem Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning at the flag-off of the 2020 Nigeria nutrition week in Abuja.
The minister noted that despite concerted efforts by the government in recent years, particularly in the areas of child nutrition, breastfeeding and malnutrition, other public health issues have remained a challenge.
He stated that this challenge must be addressed through the implementation of innovative policies and strategies that are appropriately funded, data-driven, sustainable and optimized in terms of transparency and accountability for the efforts to yield the desired results.