NGO to ensure availability, accessibility, affordability of Vitamin A foods

NGO to ensure availability, accessibility, affordability of Vitamin A foods

Food

By Nicholas Dechi

Makurdi, June 25, 2025 (NAN) Global Alliance For Improved Nutrition (GAIN), says it is working assiduously to ensure nutritious foods enriched with vitamin A are available, accessible and affordable to Nigerians in all seasons.

The Senior Project Manager, GAIN Supply Chain for Commercialisation, Mr Godwin Ehiabhi, disclosed this during the training of trainers on improving nutrition and value addition for nutrient-enriched staples
on Tuesday, in Makurdi.

Ehiabhi reiterated that GAIN’s goal was to make nutritious foods, specifically Vitamin A enriched diets, available and affordable to all Nigerians in these hard times.

He further disclosed that GAIN was strengthening nutrition in priority staple foods, adding that the project was a five-year project that began in 2021 that would end in December 2025.

“It is aimed at solving the problem of malnutrition in Nigeria. 60 to 65 per cent are malnourished in Nigeria.

“In Benue, implementation is in four Local Government Areas (LGAs), namely Gboko, Makurdi, Gwer and Otukpo.

“The project has three components, bio-fortification, workforce nutrition and business support,” Ehiabhi explained.

According to him, bio-fortification is to train farmers for extension services and free input distribution, while workforce nutrition is to enable households adopt nutrition in their homes, encourage cooking demonstrations, social behavioural change campaign and home garden.

He further stated that business support was for processors and registered farm businesses along the vitamin A food value chain, as well as capacity building and award of grants to deserving businesses.

He explained that to ensure sustainability of the project, the trainers would step down the training or knowledge acquired to other LGAs that were not captured by the project.

According to the Policy and Advocacy Associate, GAIN, Ms Toromade Olutayo, 90 per cent of Nigerians are part of the one billion people in Africa that cannot afford a healthy diet.

Olutayo further noted that there was a 62.2 per cent prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in Benue.

Some beneficiaries, Mr Sughnen Osugh, Ms Bridget Idyu and Erdoo Jato, appreciated GAIN for impacting their lives, adding that it had helped them to enhance their income. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

DND/DOR
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Edited by Nyisom Fiyigon Dore