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• US-backed initiative targets $1bn annually to combat child starvation
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria is confronting mounting financial challenges in its efforts to combat hunger, child malnutrition and climate change, with an estimated 6.4 million children affected by acute malnutrition and $337 billion required over the next decade to address environmental threats, strengthen food security and meet the country’s climate commitments.
The twin challenges have prompted fresh efforts to attract international support, with a United States-backed initiative, Operation End Starvation (OES), targeting more than $1 billion annually to prevent child deaths from starvation across sub-Saharan Africa, while the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) is seeking substantial investment to finance emissions reduction and climate adaptation between 2026 and 2035.
The proposed nutritional intervention, supported by the Eleanor Crook Foundation, is expected to focus significantly on Nigeria over the next two years, through direct collaboration with the Federal Government to demonstrate how large-scale investment can reduce acute malnutrition and prevent avoidable child deaths.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed the proposed partnership when he led a delegation of the organisation and other health sector agencies on a visit to Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, in Abuja.
Pate said the Federal Government was strengthening interventions to reduce the country’s burden of acute child malnutrition, while addressing the nutritional needs of pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
He identified the National Community Food Bank Programme, implemented in partnership with the Office of the First Lady across the six geopolitical zones, as one of the measures being taken to improve nutritional security.
“Nigeria is working hard to scale down its 6.4 million figure of acute child malnutrition, while also attending to the health of pregnant women and lactating mothers. A lot of good things are already happening in the country,” he said.
The push for improved nutrition comes against a wider climate financing challenge, particularly in agriculture and food production, where flooding, extreme heat and other environmental pressures threaten livelihoods and increase the vulnerability of communities already struggling with food insecurity.
Director-General of the NCCC, Mrs Tenioye Majekodunmi, said Nigeria would require approximately $337 billion between 2026 and 2035 to implement its climate action commitments, including $195 billion for emissions mitigation, $141.5 billion for adaptation and $500 million for climate empowerment measures.
The proposed investments, she explained, would strengthen resilience, create employment opportunities and support economic development across agriculture, energy, infrastructure and other critical sectors.
Nigeria’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) also targets a 32 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, with climate adaptation measures intended to protect food systems, water resources, public health and vulnerable communities.
Chief Executive Officer of Operation End Starvation, Williams Holdsworth Moore, said the organisation was impressed by Nigeria’s efforts to combat acute malnutrition and wanted to collaborate directly with the government to deliver measurable results.
“The foundation is impressed by Nigeria’s focus on combating acute malnutrition and we are seeking partnership for this global Operation End Starvation programme.
“We want to move one billion to end starvation in the next two years across sub-Saharan Africa. The burden is high but the capacity is also very high.”
Moore disclosed that the United States Department of State had approved Nigeria’s inclusion in the initiative’s plans following engagements with the country’s health authorities.
“US State Department approved that Nigeria should be part of our outlook. We have met with the Nigeria health team and they are one of the best of many we have met,” he said.
The First Lady assured the prospective international partners that assistance provided to Nigeria would be judiciously utilised, expressing confidence in the expertise and commitment of the country’s health professionals.
“Nigeria has the best team in the health sector presently,” she said.
Tinubu praised the dedication of officials across government ministries, including Pate and other health sector personnel, stressing that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was implementing reforms to strengthen institutions and improve service delivery.
“Nigeria deserves better and there is nothing we give to her that is too much because if the system works, it will ultimately come back to us.”
She assured the delegation that the health team would deploy assistance received towards achieving the objectives of the proposed intervention.
The concerns over hunger, nutrition and climate financing will also feature prominently at the forthcoming Handshake Summit and Awards, organised by the Semaform Foundation for November 13 in Antalya, Türkiye, during the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).
The summit, themed “Climate Finance, AI Investment and Trade,” will bring together policymakers, investors, development organisations and climate advocates to examine financing gaps, food insecurity, clean energy investment and the role of technology in tackling climate-related challenges.
Its opening panel, “Happy and Hungry,” will examine why hunger persists despite increased global agricultural production, with an estimated 670 million people still going hungry worldwide.
Participants will explore how climate disruption, fragmented international trade and changing consumption patterns are putting additional pressure on food systems, alongside concerns about the reliability of artificial intelligence in climate and energy communication.
The discussion will feature Daniel Oladoja, Lead Curator of Solar Stories and Visiting Fellow at the University of Exeter; Dr Babatunde Ajayi, General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency; and Dr Joy Nnamdi Amaoma of the Niger Delta Development Commission. It will be moderated by Chaste Inegbedion of the Semaform Foundation.
As part of efforts to address the financing challenge, the foundation will launch Grant Swipe, a platform designed to connect organisations working with climate-vulnerable communities to potential grants and investment opportunities.
According to the organisers, the platform seeks to bridge the gap between community-based organisations requiring financial assistance and investors searching for credible projects capable of delivering measurable results.
Another summit session, “Ladies in Climate,” will focus on expanding access to green finance for women and persons with disabilities, particularly in clean energy development and economic opportunities for underserved communities.
The discussion will feature Titilayo Oshodi, Special Adviser on Climate Change to the Lagos State Governor, and Nneka Okoye, Executive Director of World Impact Initiative, with Lyzianah Emakoua, a United Nations Economic Commission for Africa African Youth Climate Negotiator, as moderator.
The summit will also recognise 20 individuals for their contributions to climate action, environmental governance and sustainable development.
Among those listed for recognition are the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change and Security, Dr Kama Nkemkanma; Nnaemeka Oruh, Secretary of the committee that drafted Nigeria’s Climate Change Act; Enebi Opaluwa of BudgIT Foundation and the Special Assistant to the President on Climate Change, Comrade Yusuf Olatunji Kelani.
Inegbedion, who recently returned from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, said inadequate financing remained a major obstacle to implementing climate policies and translating development plans into tangible benefits.
“Funding is the difference between a climate plan and climate progress. We created the Handshake Summit & Awards so that recognition becomes relationships, and relationships become funded, measurable action,” he said.
Founder and Executive Director of The Ebaidebheki Initiative and master of ceremonies for the summit, Ebaide Queen Omiunu, urged countries participating in COP31 to prioritise affordable climate finance, food security, climate resilience, equitable energy transition and credible carbon-market investments.
“Our delegates must speak with one voice for Nigeria’s interests at the negotiations. But our voices go beyond Nigeria. They carry across the Global South, the United States, Europe and the entire world,” she said.
The summit, which coincides with COP31’s Finance and Trade thematic day, is expected to draw attention to the need for stronger international financing arrangements to support food security, climate adaptation and sustainable development, particularly in countries confronting the combined pressures of hunger, poverty and environmental degradation.
