Bauchi targets reduction of hunger, malnutrition to 18 percent in 2026

By Nasir Shuaibu

The Bauchi State Committee on Food and Nutrition, which serves as the state’s multisectoral platform, has pledged to lower the prevalence of hunger and malnutrition from 54.5% to 18% in Bauchi State, in line with the goals outlined in the State Multisectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition. 

Additionally, the committee aims to eradicate stunting among underage children across the twenty local government areas in the state.

The CS-SUNN facilitator and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mr Jibrin Ogbaji, presented a paper on an overview of the Bauchi State Multisectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition (BSMSPAN, 2024-2028) on Tuesday, 23rd September 2025, in Bauchi. He drew the attention of participants to the Goal, strategic objectives and nutrition target set in the Plan.

He noted that according to NDHS 2018, the postulated figures in the BSMSPAN representing stunting, wasting, and underweight children are alarming, with rates at 54.7%, 8.5%, and 29%, respectively, and 24.6% for infants with exclusive breastfeeding (EBF).

According to him, the multisectoral approach has six priority areas, including food and nutrition security, quality health services, raising awareness, enhancing caregiving capacity, addressing insecurity, and resource allocation. 

He further explained that other strategies include adopting school nutrition programs, crisis management, food production and processing, and food and nutrition security.

Earlier, the CS-SUNN lead facilitator stated that the two-day meeting aimed to equip desk officers from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on how to develop a nutritional annual operational plan and tag their nutrition budget from the Bauchi State Multisectoral Plan of Action for Nutrition (BSMSPAN) 2026. 

He explained that by the end of the meeting, participants are expected to have gathered the necessary knowledge on the Annual Operational Plan (AOP) 2026 from the BSMSPAN.

During the discussion, stakeholders also identified food demonstration, from processing to cooking, as one of the key components to ending food insecurity, hunger, and stunting in the country.

Other factors include a gap in communication between the Ministry of Health and the dissemination of information down to the grassroots level for awareness creation, especially on food and nutrition.