Bukola Afeni
The Federal Government and development partners have launched the Micronutrient Analytics for Policy (MAP-Nigeria) Project, a major initiative aimed at strengthening evidence-based nutrition policies and addressing micronutrient deficiencies in Nigeria. The project was unveiled at a stakeholders’ kick-off meeting in Abuja attended by representatives of government ministries, development partners, research institutions, and civil society organisations.
The Micronutrient Analytics for Policy (MAP-Nigeria) Project, implemented by the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), is supported by the Gates Foundation grant to conduct a deeper analysis of national nutrition data and inform policy decisions.
Speaking at the event, the President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) and Project Director of MAP-Nigeria, Prof. Salisu Maiwada Abubakar, said the two-year initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to strengthen data-driven decision-making in Nigeria’s nutrition sector.
Professor Abubakar explained that the project will conduct advanced secondary analysis of the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey (NFCMS), Nigeria’s most comprehensive dataset on dietary intake and micronutrient status. According to him, the initiative will generate policy-relevant insights that will support the review and update of the National Micronutrient Deficiency Control (MNDC) guidelines and inform national and sub-national nutrition programmes. He noted that the project will also build the capacity of government officers in nutrition data analysis, visualization, and policy translation to ensure sustainable use of evidence in decision-making.
“The project will empower ministries, departments, and agencies to use advanced dietary modelling tools and data analysis to strengthen nutrition planning and programming in the country,” Abubakar said.
He added that the findings from the project will contribute to improving large-scale food fortification programmes, strengthening micronutrient supplementation strategies, and supporting more targeted interventions for vulnerable populations such as children and women of reproductive age.
Earlier, the Project Manager of MAP-Nigeria, Dr. Anthony Oko-Isu, explained that the project will focus on conducting a deep-dive secondary analysis of data from the 2021 NFCMS to generate actionable insights for policy and programme improvements. According to him, the analytical process will help bridge the gap between raw nutrition data and practical policy interventions.
“Our aim is to transform existing national data into actionable evidence that will guide policies and programmes to reduce micronutrient deficiencies in Nigeria,” he said.
Dr. Oko-Isu noted that the project will model various intervention scenarios to guide government decisions on strategies such as large-scale food fortification, biofortification of staple crops, and vitamin A supplementation programmes. He explained that the analysis will also help refine national fortification standards for commonly consumed foods so that they deliver adequate vitamins and minerals to low-income households.
The project will further triangulate findings from the 2021 survey with more recent national datasets such as the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) to ensure policy recommendations reflect current economic and nutrition realities.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Managing Director of GroundWork Health, James Wirth, said the organisation is providing technical support for the project’s analytical work and capacity-building activities. He explained that the collaboration will help strengthen Nigeria’s ability to independently analyse nutrition data and translate findings into effective policies and programmes.
Stakeholders at the meeting noted that the project will produce several key outputs, including secondary analysis reports, policy briefs, national and regional infographics, modelling reports, and peer-reviewed publications. These outputs will be disseminated through national and regional workshops to support evidence-based planning and improve coordination among government agencies, development partners, and other stakeholders in the fight against malnutrition.
Experts believe the MAP-Nigeria project will play a critical role in strengthening Nigeria’s nutrition governance by maximizing the value of existing national data to guide policies, programmes, and investments aimed at reducing micronutrient deficiencies across the country.
