Kaduna Can Save 98,894 Children by 2030 With More Nutrition Investment — CS-SUNN

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Kaduna State could save the lives of an estimated 98,894 under-five children between 2026 and 2030 if it scales up high-impact nutrition interventions, but the state would need an additional ₦599 billion investment to achieve the projected gains.

The figures were contained in the Domestic Nutrition Financing Media Kit presented by Olushola Peters, Communication Manager, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), during a media engagement on domestic nutrition financing in Kaduna on Thursday.

The investment case estimates that every ₦1 invested in nutrition in Kaduna could generate about ₦5 in economic value, making nutrition financing not only a public health intervention but also a potentially significant investment in the state’s future human capital.

According to the data, Kaduna has an estimated population of 10 million, including about two million children under five. Without additional investment, under-five mortality is projected to remain around 107 deaths per 1,000 live births, while stunting could remain at about 37 per cent.

The projected scale-up would focus on interventions including Vitamin A supplementation, oral rehydration solution and zinc, breastfeeding promotion and integrated nutrition services through primary healthcare facilities and community platforms.

However, the media kit raises concerns over budget performance, noting that Kaduna’s nutrition budget performance averaged only 42.5 per cent over the period examined.

It therefore urged journalists to move beyond reporting budget allocations and investigate whether approved funds are actually released and utilised for the intended nutrition programmes.

Peters said the distinction between allocation, appropriation, release and utilisation was critical to understanding whether government nutrition commitments were translating into services for women and children.

A budget allocation, he explained, could exist on paper without necessarily resulting in services if funds were not released or effectively utilised.

The media kit warned that delays in financing could disrupt procurement, community outreach, nutrition commodity supplies and other time-sensitive interventions, particularly during pregnancy and the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.

Kaduna in national nutrition financing picture

The Kaduna figures form part of a wider five-state investment analysis covering Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa and Niger, which highlights both the scale of Nigeria’s nutrition challenge and the economic case for increased domestic financing.

Kano has the highest potential number of lives that could be saved, with an estimated 116,469 under-five lives between 2026 and 2030, but would require about ₦1.30 trillion in additional investment.

Niger State records the highest projected return on investment, with an estimated ₦14.60 returned for every ₦1 invested, while Nasarawa could generate about ₦12 for every ₦1.

Lagos presents a different challenge. Although it has a considerably lower under-five mortality rate, its large population means that more than 500,000 children are estimated to be stunted, demonstrating that low prevalence does not necessarily translate into a low absolute burden.

The media kit argues that the national nutrition challenge cannot be addressed through donor funding alone.

While development partners can provide catalytic support, it stresses that sustainable nutrition programmes require predictable domestic government financing, with donor resources complementing rather than replacing public investment.

One opportunity highlighted is the Child Nutrition Fund’s 1:1 matching mechanism, through which eligible domestic government funding committed and released for approved nutrition commodities and services can attract an equivalent contribution.

‘Track the money’

CS-SUNN urged journalists to make nutrition financing a budget accountability issue by tracking the entire chain from appropriation to release, expenditure and results.

Among the questions recommended for policymakers are how much has been approved for nutrition, what proportion has actually been released, whether states have protected budget lines for severe acute malnutrition treatment and Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation, and how many women and children have benefited from funded interventions.

The organisation also called for stronger monitoring of nutrition commodity stock-outs and greater scrutiny of how much of nutrition budgets reaches communities compared with administrative expenditure.

The media kit noted that nutrition is not solely a health-sector issue, stressing that malnutrition is closely linked to agriculture, education, water and sanitation, social protection, food systems and women’s empowerment.

It warned that inadequate nutrition financing carries consequences beyond childhood survival, affecting cognitive development, educational outcomes, productivity and the future workforce.

For Kaduna, the investment case presents a stark choice: invest more predictably in nutrition and potentially prevent tens of thousands of child deaths, or allow financing gaps and weak budget execution to undermine interventions that could produce substantial health and economic returns.

The CS-SUNN analysis ultimately challenges government and the media to shift the conversation from how much is budgeted to how much is released, how much is spent, who benefits and what results are achieved.