Nigeria has been ranked 115th out of 125 countries in the 2025 Global Hunger Index (GHI), underscoring the country’s deepening food insecurity and malnutrition crisis driven by soaring inflation, widespread poverty, and insecurity.
The GHI, which measures hunger levels globally, assesses countries using four key indicators - undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality. Nigeria’s ranking places it among nations grappling with “serious” hunger levels.
Speaking at the Nutritious Food Fair held in Kano, Dr. Adiya Ode, Country Representative of Propcom+ Nigeria, described the findings as alarming, noting that over 31.8 million Nigerians are already facing acute food insecurity.
"This report is a wake-up call for urgent and coordinated action,” Ode said. “Malnutrition and child stunting are worsening, and we must take deliberate steps to make nutritious food accessible and affordable for all.”
Ode reaffirmed Propcom+’s commitment to tackling hunger through climate-smart and market-driven agricultural initiatives, adding that effective partnerships are key to achieving sustainable food security.
“Our collaboration with the Kano State Government and HarvestPlus is helping to strengthen the seed-to-shelf chain for nutrient-rich foods, ensuring that farmers earn more, consumers eat better, and markets thrive,” she said.
She urged private investors and policymakers to partner with development agencies to scale up agricultural innovations that can boost production and reduce hunger nationwide.
Also speaking, Dr. Yusuf Dollah Fu’ad, Country Manager of HarvestPlus Nigeria, said Nigeria can reduce hunger and malnutrition by promoting nutrient-enriched staple crops to boost farmers’ productivity and household nutrition.
“Most people in rural communities consume what they produce,” Fu’ad noted. “When farmers cultivate nutrient-enriched staples, they and their families gain direct access to vital vitamins and minerals. This food-based approach is the most sustainable way to fight hidden hunger.”
He said the 11th edition of the Nutritious Food Fair is aimed at expanding access to nutrient-rich foods and supporting innovations that empower farmers to play a central role in ending hunger.
On his part, Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Yusuf, said the government had reactivated 65 treatment centres for malnutrition and released N1 billion in counterpart funding to combat the rising cases of stunted growth and malnutrition in the state.
He assured that the state remains committed to strengthening community-level nutrition programmes to reduce child mortality and improve overall health outcomes.
Experts have warned that without urgent interventions to stabilise food prices, enhance local production, and strengthen agricultural resilience, Nigeria’s hunger and malnutrition crisis could worsen ahead of 2026, leaving millions more at risk of starvation.
Leave a Reply