Food Inflation Drives 3.5m Children into Malnutrition

As food prices continue to soar and international aid dwindles, child malnutrition is tightening its grip on Nigeria, according to available data.

About 3.5 million children in Nigeria are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to the latest data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

For Bosede Balogun, a 53-year-old widow raising four children in Iyanoworo, Lagos State, the crisis has turned daily survival into a brutal balancing act.

“I used to cook one ‘derica’ [1kg] of rice for my children,” she told BusinessDay. “Now, I can only afford half. Even after eating, they are still hungry. Meat and fish are no longer options — we simply can’t afford them,” she noted.

In Jigawa State, Amina Zubairu, a mother of four, said her family eats only once in 24 hours.

“We eat when we have money. We eat mostly rice or ‘tuwo,’ and cannot afford to buy beans, chickens or salad.”

In Katsina State alone, more than 650 children died from malnutrition in the first half (H1) of 2025, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a French non-governmental organisation.

The NGO attributed the deaths to shrinking global aid budgets. “We are seeing massive funding cuts from key donors like the US, the UK, and the EU, and the consequences are devastating,” MSF said in a statement.

These cuts are also threatening emergency food and nutrition efforts across the conflict-hit North-east. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced it will halt assistance to 1.3 million people in the region by the end of July due to what it describes as ‘critical funding shortfalls.’ The agency said it urgently needs $130 million to keep its operations running through the end of the year.

Faruk Muhammad, research analyst at Aspire Alliance for Niger State Youths, sounded the alarm on soaring food costs and aid cuts as key drivers of rising child malnutrition.

“The rising cost of foods and aid cuts are major reasons fuelling the rising cases of child malnutrition in the country,” he noted.

Muhammad emphasised that as staple food prices climb, families struggle to afford basic nutrition. Simultaneously, reductions in international aid have stripped critical support for feeding and healthcare programmes.

Adebayo Adeleke, founder of Supply Chain Africa, warned that the problem extends beyond visible signs of hunger. “Malnutrition is widespread, even among people who don’t appear sick. The cost of basic protein is simply out of reach for many,” he said.

“A child can eat every day and still be malnourished. Until nutrition is treated with utmost priority, hunger will persist,” he added.

In Borno and Yobe States, displaced families who have fled violence now face hunger in their supposed refuge.

Analysts say high food costs and Nigeria’s heavy reliance on foreign aid to fund nutrition programmes have left the nation dangerously exposed. As global donors scale back, the gaps are widening — and vulnerable children are paying the price.

Implications of child malnutrition

According to UNICEF, high malnutrition rates pose dire public health and development threats for Nigeria. The UN agency highlighted stunting as a key concern—beyond increased mortality risk. It impairs cognitive function, depresses educational performance, and slashes adult productivity. The cumulative economic impact is estimated to cut a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 11 percent.

What’s the way forward?

Hajara Haruna, a nutritionist in Katsina State, stressed the need to empower women through education and training in reproductive health as a critical step in tackling child malnutrition.

“With the increasing rates of child malnutrition, empowering women is crucial for ensuring they can meet their children’s basic needs,” she noted, highlighting the direct correlation between a woman’s capabilities and child well-being.

“Education and accessible healthcare awareness are also vital to addressing Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis,” she added.

In Benue State, Viviane Terveshima, a nutritionist, also highlighted food fortification as one of the most effective tools to combat child malnutrition.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines food fortification as the deliberate increase of essential micronutrients—such as vitamins and minerals—in food or condiments. Experts say the practice helps to improve the nutritional quality of food, particularly for malnourished children.

Muhammad highlighted the need for increased government interventions to cushion aid cuts, while providing subsidised farm input materials to boost food production in the country while reducing food costs.

“Serious government intervention is needed to cushion the impact of foreign aid cuts on affected families,” he noted. “It is also important for stakeholders to provide subsidised farming implements to improve food production while reducing food prices in return,” he added.

300,000 malnourished children in Northeast

At least 300,000 malnourished children in northeastern Nigeria could lose access to lifesaving treatment as funding for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) dries up.

The UN agency warned on Wednesday that over 150 WFP-supported nutrition clinics in Borno and Yobe states are set to close due to severe funding shortfalls.

According to the WFP, children will be among the hardest hit, with the closures potentially halting critical treatment for more than 300,000 children under the age of two, placing them at heightened risk of wasting.

Among them: two-year-old Ummi, cradled in her mother’s lap one recent day, at a Borno State health clinic. A Muac strip a health worker wrapped around her wrist showed the youngster had moderate-acute malnutrition. Later, mother Hafsat Rumanu collected packages of nutrient-packed peanut paste to help fight it.

“When I noticed my baby vomiting, I took her to the health centre. Already, I am seeing changes. She is getting better,” said 25-year-old Rumanu, who has three other small children.

With donations drying up, the WFP is beginning to cut food and nutrition assistance to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people across northeastern Nigeria, even as hunger soars in the region, fuelled by conflict, insecurity and extreme weather. Children are likely to be among those worst affected.

“Without an immediate influx in donations, only half that number will be assisted in August. After that, our assistance in the region could be completely suspended”, John Ifuk-Ibot, WFP Nigeria nutrition officer, said.

“Families here will be left with impossible choices. Go hungry or flee again,” he added.

David Stevenson, WFP country director for Nigeria said, “WFP’s operations in northeast Nigeria will collapse without immediate, sustained funding. This is no longer just a humanitarian crisis, it’s a growing threat to regional stability, as families pushed beyond their limits are left with nowhere to turn.”

Source: BusinessDay