The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has concluded its five-year Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples (SNiPS) Project, which aimed to transform staple food value chains and improve nutrition outcomes across Oyo, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Benue States.
Government officials, development partners, farmers, processors, and beneficiaries praised the initiative for reshaping Nigeria’s staple food systems, strengthening livelihoods, and advancing the fight against hidden hunger in the four implementing states.
Delivering the keynote address, the Country Director of GAIN Nigeria, Dr Michael Ojo, stated that SNiPS was launched in 2021 to address Nigeria’s persistent nutrition challenges by “transforming staple food systems from the ground up.”
He noted that farmers, processors, and consumers had experienced “real success”, adding that “what we have seen is a transition from merely feeding people to nourishing people.”
Dr Ojo highlighted the human impact behind the interventions, citing testimonials that demonstrated significant progress made by both farmers and processors.
He outlined the project’s achievements, including 9,633 farmers adopting vitamin A maize, vitamin A cassava, and orange-fleshed sweet potato, as well as 625 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) processing and marketing biofortified foods.
“Transforming Nigeria’s food systems means ensuring they deliver nourishment, not just food,” he said.
SNiPS MSME beneficiary Joyce Likita, whose Tom Brown product received NAFDAC certification, shared how biofortification improved her infant’s health and strengthened her business.
“When she was taking it, she became healthier and was out of malnutrition,” she said.
She added: “A lot of women don’t know about this… we will do step-down training to our community… Once they start taking those biofortified foods, it will be a big plus to us, to GAIN and also in the fight against malnutrition.”
In an interview, Dr Ojo further disclosed, “We reached over twenty-three million Nigerians with messages on the benefits of consuming biofortified crops. This clearly shows the link from seeds to production to processing to consumer demand, which is exactly what we intended.”
Senior Project Manager, Godwin Ehiabhi, emphasised the human stories behind the implementation, saying, “These are the voices that gave our work meaning…” Change begins with a seed, but it grows through partnership, trust, and unwavering determination.”
Representing the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, Deputy Director Ummulkhairi Ahmed Bobboi commended SNiPS for demonstrating the value of strong collaborations.
“This award being presented to NAFDAC today is deeply appreciated. It reflects the impact of these partnerships,” she said.
She further pledged that NAFDAC would continue partnering with GAIN, stating, “By strengthening priority value chains… the project has expanded the availability of nutritious staples, empowered women and youth, and improved livelihoods.”
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by the Director of Nutrition and Food Safety, Nuhu Adamu Kilishi, praised the project’s alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The Ministry will continue to collaborate with all the MDAs, states, the private sector and all stakeholders to ensure food and nutrition security,” he said.
He added, “I was particularly impressed when the Commissioners promised to sustain the project and made further commitments.”
Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Professor Musibau Babatunde, reaffirmed the state’s commitment, noting that the project had “demonstrated that improving agricultural productivity must go hand in hand with improving nutrition outcomes.”