Nigeria Country Profile

Population:	148,138,800
Children-under-5 mortality rate:	191 per 1,000
Vitamin A deficiency, in children 6 to 59 months old:	29.5%
Iodine deficiency:	30.7% of women
Prevalence of anemia, in children 6 to 59 months old:	75.6 %1
Prevalence of anemia, in women:	62.7%2

Although the prevalence of vitamin and mineral deficiencies appears lower in Nigeria compared to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, its under-five mortality rate is among the highest.
A PROFILES  analysis shows that if no effective action is taken to prevent and control vitamin A deficiency, over 80,000 Nigerian children will die annually.
If current levels of iodine deficiency remained unchanged, about 900,000 children born annually will suffer some level of mental impairment because their mothers were iodine deficient during pregnancy
About 6,500 Nigerian mothers will die annually because they are anemic.

Our Priorities in Nigeria

MI's highest priorities in Nigeria have been:

1. Boost coverage with vitamin A supplements (VAS) via national coordinating structure for implementing child health through Immunization Plus Days (IPDs), while supporting child health weeks (CHW) as alternative delivery mechanisms for VAS
2. Support efforts at all levels to improve VA supplements supply chain, and design cost-effective approach to reach hard-to-reach children
Increase coverage with fortified food by supporting fortification of wheat and maize flour, sugar, and vegetable oil
3. Contribute to sustained production and consumption of iodized salts as well as promotion of double fortification of salt (DFS) with iodine and iron.

Advocating for Universal Access to Essential Vitamins and Minerals

But advocacy through partnership building has been the overarching priority of MI in Nigeria

MI has since signed a cooperative agreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria that helps consolidate our presence here and lends support to our efforts.
MI placed hidden hunger and vitamin A supplementation for children on the agenda at the Presidential Stakeholder Forum on Child Nutrition, the World Health Day Media Forum, and the consultative forum Nutrition in Under Fives: A Review of the National Response.
Provided technical input on the inclusion of MNs into government development documents such as Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (IMNCH) Strategy and the 2nd phase of NEEDS (National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy – NEEDS-2).

Child Survival
Supporting Immune Systems and Reducing Deaths from Common Childhood Diseases

Vitamin A Supplements (VAS)

In 2006, VA capsules were delivered through NIDS in 28 states reaching 18,025,132 children 6 to 59 months in the first round. In 2007 MI contributed to a coverage of 9,756,921 for the 1st dose of VA (92%) through sub-IPD in 12 States, provided additional coverage of 1,900,596 (88%) through CHW in three states (Osun, Ogun and Benue)

MI also supported monitoring through Helen Keller International's (HKI) coverage assessment survey, which indicated that
Nigeria's national vitamin A coverage of children 6 to 59 months was 70%. For the second round, Immunization Plus Days (IPDs) achieved 63% coverage in 20 states.

Vitamin A Fortification

Current data that monitors manufacturer compliance to standards revealed that all wheat and maize flours, sugar, and vegetable oils produced in Nigeria are fortified with vitamin A. While this is a major achievement, there is still room for improvement, as only 80 % of flour, 87% of vegetable oil, and 90% of sugar met the minimum quality standards

Child Development: Preventing Mental Impairment with Iodine and Iron

Iodine

MI participated in the Iodine Network assessment mission to certify that Nigeria had achieved universal salt iodization.

Iron

MI is working with partners to promote DFS registration and test marketing.

MI Nigeria

Dr. Oladipo Abiodun Rauf

Director, Nigeria
35, Justice Sowemimo Street
Off TY Danjuma Street
Asokoro, Abuja, Nigeria

Tel: +234 09 873 3531