The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving Nigeria’s health system by institutionalising nutrition budget tagging at both national and state levels.
Speaking in Abuja at the opening of a four-day Training of Trainers workshop on Nutrition Budget Tagging, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Sampson Ebimaro, said the initiative is aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in resource allocation for nutrition programmes. The workshop is themed “Towards a National Picture: Advancing Nutrition Financing through Budget Tagging.”
Dr. Ebimaro, representing Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, noted that although nutrition is widely recognised as vital for health and socio-economic development, implementation remains weak. He cited the lack of a standardised method for tracking nutrition expenditure as a major challenge.
“The importance of knowing how resources are allocated and spent cannot be overemphasised in assessing effectiveness and identifying gaps,” he stressed.
He recalled that the Nutrition Financing Technical Committee (NFTC), inaugurated in 2022, laid the groundwork for the system, describing budget tagging as a “game-changer” in making nutrition allocations more visible across ministries, departments, and agencies. The current workshop, he explained, will extend the initiative to states not covered under the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN 1.0) project.
Director of the Ministry’s Nutrition Department, Clementina Okoro, said the Federal Government, with World Bank support through the ANRiN flagship project, is intensifying efforts to integrate nutrition into the national budget cycle. Trainings are already underway for budget officers, nutrition programme officers, and planners. While ANRiN began with 11 pilot states, its expansion nationwide will provide a comprehensive picture of nutrition financing.
Okoro highlighted the benefits of nutrition budget tagging: identifying funding gaps, generating credible data for policy advocacy, tracking allocations and releases, assessing efficiency and equity, and aligning donor support.
“This workshop marks an important step in embedding nutrition into Nigeria’s budget processes, ensuring effective and accountable financing for human capital development,” she said.
Also speaking, Director of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, described malnutrition as a major public health and development challenge, contributing significantly to under-five mortality. She cited the 2023 Nigerian Demographic Health Survey, which reported a 40% stunting rate among children under five.
“Tackling malnutrition is not just a health issue, it is a development priority. Allocating and utilising resources effectively and transparently is key to reversing the trend,” she added.
Dr. Ebimaro urged participants to engage actively and share innovative ideas to transform nutrition financing. He also commended the World
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