The Minister of Education, Dr Morufu Olatunji Alausa, has called for a stronger role for the education sector in Nigeria’s efforts to tackle child malnutrition, particularly through school feeding programmes, health services and nutrition education.
Alausa made the call while speaking at the Ethiopia–Nigeria Leadership Exchange on Nutrition in Addis Ababa, where he stressed the need for closer collaboration among the education, health, agriculture and other relevant sectors.
The minister said the implementation of the Nutrition 774 Initiative requires clearly defined responsibilities, adequate funding and effective monitoring across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
He identified school feeding as a practical intervention capable of improving children’s nutritional well-being while also encouraging school enrolment and attendance.
Alausa also highlighted the importance of integrating nutrition education into the revised school curriculum to equip children with knowledge about healthy diets and nutrition.
He called for the inclusion of education-related indicators in the Nutrition 774 local government scorecard to strengthen monitoring and accountability in the fight against malnutrition.
The minister further urged greater attention to early childhood development, improved integration of government data and stronger implementation of nutrition programmes at the state and local government levels.
Alausa reaffirmed the Ministry of Education’s commitment to ensuring that education remains an integral component of Nigeria’s response to child malnutrition.
He said strengthening the connection between education, nutrition and other social sectors would help create healthier children while improving their prospects for learning and development.
