Nigeria to chair ECOWAS food fortification drive, targets 100% compliance

Nigeria is stepping up to lead West Africa's efforts against hidden hunger, taking the helm of the ECOWAS food fortification program. The National Fortification Alliance aims to achieve 70 to 100 percent compliance in fortifying essential food items like flour, sugar, vegetable oil, and salt within the next five years.

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Today we are witnessing the proposed launch of a website for this alliance, the very first in the 20 years, and also the very first in the whole of Africa. We have fortification alliances in other countries, but the Nigerian one is at the lead today. And because of that, we have been made the chair for the ECOWAS food fortification program, where the other members of ECOWAS look up to us.

This initiative targets widespread micronutrient deficiencies, a significant public health concern. The alliance, a public-private partnership, has already made strides over the past two decades, with Nigeria earning international praise for its salt iodisation achievements. The program focuses on mandatory fortification of staple foods consumed by nearly all Nigerians, ensuring an effective way to combat deficiencies.

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So we’ve done very well over these 20 years we’re talking about in ensuring that these four vehicles are fortified.

Fred Chiazor, Chairman of the National Fortification Alliance, highlighted the program's progress at a recent meeting in Lagos. He noted that the alliance operates on transparency and improvement, using biannual meetings to review compliance and foster healthy competition among producers. Chiazor also announced the upcoming launch of the alliance's website, the first of its kind in Africa, underscoring Nigeria's leading role in regional food fortification efforts.

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The need for fortification of these vehicles is because of their far-reaching powers. And the reason is that, from the trend and the results obtained from the micronutrient testing that was done, the results showed very low values.