RismadarVoice Reporters | January 24, 2026
The Federal Government, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), and other key stakeholders in Nasarawa State, have expressed concern over persistent cases of malnutrition, particularly in rural communities across the state’s 13 local government areas.
The stakeholders called on the Nasarawa State Government to make adequate budgetary provisions through the agricultural sector to promote nutrition and ensure that all residents, including the less privileged, have access to foods rich in essential nutrients.
The call was made on Friday in Lafia during a one-day policy dialogue on nutrition sustainability in Nasarawa State.
Speaking at the event, the State Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD VCDP, Dr Eunice Adgidzi, said the programme had recorded improvements in malnutrition indices since its inception, largely due to sustained efforts in educating farmers on improved farming practices.
Adgidzi, who was represented by the Knowledge Management and Communication Officer of the VCDP in the state, Samson Jonah, commended the Nasarawa State Government for launching a multi-sectoral action plan on food and nutrition aimed at reducing child and maternal mortality across the state.
She noted that nutrition is one of the core thematic areas of the VCDP, designed to ensure that Nigerians, both privileged and underprivileged, can access balanced diets regardless of income level.
According to her, the programme became deeply involved in nutrition-related interventions due to the high burden of malnutrition in the state.
As the programme is scheduled to wind up in December 2026, Adgidzi stressed the need for the state government to develop a policy framework to sustain the VCDP’s nutrition model.
“What is left for us now is to have a draft policy direction for nutrition sustainability in Nasarawa State.
This will be done with the support of the Chairman, Standing Committee on Agriculture at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Peter Akwe, who also chairs the Nutrition and Food Security Committee,” she said.
She also praised participating farmers, noting that their feedback showed positive transformation in their livelihoods.
On her part, the Director of Nutrition at the Nasarawa State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Keziah Waziri, assured that the ministry was committed to sustaining and institutionalising the VCDP nutrition model in the state.
She thanked the Federal Government and IFAD for organising the dialogue and urged stakeholders to contribute ideas on sustaining the programme’s gains.
Earlier, the Deputy Director, Planning and Nutrition Desk Officer at the State Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, Abdullahi Ismaila, who represented the Permanent Secretary and Chairman, State Committee on Food and Nutrition, Isah Osama, commended the VCDP’s role in addressing malnutrition in the state.
Ismaila assured that the ministry would continue to support nutrition-focused initiatives, noting that the achievements of the VCDP align with the state government’s five-year development plan on ending malnutrition.
“We have constituted several committees, including a State Council on Nutrition, which is the apex body to ensure that all efforts in nutrition are sustained in Nasarawa State,” he said.
