The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says the number of adolescent girls and women aged 15-49 years who are undernourished has soared from 5.6million since 2018 to 7.3 million in 2021 in Nigeria.
In a statement issued ahead of the International Women’s Day, UNICEF warns that the ongoing crises, aggravated by unending gender inequality, are deepening a nutrition crisis among adolescent girls and women that had already shown little improvement in the last two decades.
According to the statement, In Nigeria, 55 per cent of adolescent girls and women suffer from anaemia, while nearly half of Nigerian women of reproductive age do not consume the recommended diet of at least 5 out of 10 food groups.
It further says that Inadequate nutrition during girls’ and women’s lives can lead to weakened immunity, poor cognitive development, and an increased risk of life-threatening complications.
this includes; during pregnancy and childbirth with dangerous and irreversible consequences for their children’s survival, growth, learning, and future earning capacity.
UNICEF calls for governments, and humanitarian partners support to Implement policies and mandatory legal measures that will expand large-scale food fortification of routinely consumed foods such as flour, cooking oil and salt to help reduce micronutrient deficiencies and anemia in girls and women.
