Nigeria is losing an estimated $2.5 billion every year to malnutrition, placing lawmakers under renewed pressure to translate budget approvals into measurable improvements for millions of vulnerable women and children.
The warning came at the 2026 Strategic Policy Dialogue on Strengthening Legislative Action for Improving Nutrition held in Lagos, where federal and state lawmakers, development partners, nutrition experts and civil society organisations called for stronger legislative oversight, increased domestic financing and the speedy passage of the proposed National Nutrition Bill.
The meeting concluded with participating states adopting fresh commitments to strengthen nutrition governance, financing and accountability.
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Speaking during the dialogue, Chike Okafor, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, described malnutrition as one of Nigeria’s biggest but least acknowledged economic crises.
According to him, data from the World Bank shows the country loses about $2.5 billion annually to malnutrition through lower productivity, rising
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