Nigeria Faces Anaemia Crisis as Millions of Women, Children Remain at Risk

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Nigeria is facing a severe public health crisis as millions of women and children continue to suffer from anaemia, a condition caused primarily by micronutrient deficiencies. 

According to the 2023–2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), over 60 per cent of children under five and 58 per cent of pregnant women are anaemic.

Speakers at a three-day high-level media capacity-building workshop organised by Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), themed “Media as Catalysts for an Anaemia-Free Nigeria” called for an urgent sustainable solution to curb anemia. 

Speaking on the national nutrition situation, Helen Achimugu, on behalf of Mrs. Funmilola Adegbite, Director and Head of the Nutrition Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW), in Abuja on Tuesday, said the country is grappling with what she called “hidden hunger” micronutrient deficiencies that are not always visible but significantly weaken health and productivity.

“Of the estimated 35 million children under five in Nigeria, approximately 14 million are stunted, 3 million are wasted, and 24 million are anaemic.

“Stunting affects 40 per cent of children, wasting 8 per cent, underweight 27 per cent, and overweight 1 per cent. The annual reduction in stunting remains slow at 0.4 percentage points per year, which is not sufficient to meet global targets,” Helen Achimugu said. 

She further explained that anaemia, most commonly caused by iron deficiency, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiencies, poses grave risks for both mothers and unborn children. 

“Maternal anaemia increases the likelihood of morbidity and mortality, labour complications, postpartum cognitive impairment, and reduced immune function. 

“For unborn children, it is linked to stillbirth, pre-term delivery, poor growth, congenital malformations, and weakened immunity,” she said.

Helen Achimugu also highlighted the role of food insecurity in exacerbating the problem. 

“An estimated 25 million Nigerians are hungry, and 9.3 million face acute food insecurity,” she said, noting that poor access to iron-rich foods contributes heavily to the crisis.

On interventions, she pointed out that the government has implemented vitamin A supplementation for children, iron–folate tablets for pregnant women, salt iodisation, mandatory fortification of wheat flour, sugar, and vegetable oil, zinc supplementation, oral rehydration therapy, and household fortification using micronutrient powders and therapeutic foods. 

“Nigeria has also introduced Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women, providing 15 essential vitamins and minerals in one daily tablet. 

“MMS is included in the National Essential Medicines List and the Maternal Nutrition Acceleration Plan. In 2024, the country received 3.6 million bottles, with an additional 3 million projected for 2025,” she said.

Speaking on the role of media in tackling anaemia, Dr. Geoffrey Njoku of CS-SUNN emphasized the importance of linking data to human stories. 

“Data tells us how many people are anaemic, but stories tell us why,” he said. 

Dr. Njoku explained that community story mining allows journalists to engage directly with affected families, revealing the economic and social costs of anaemia, such as reduced working hours for market women, trade-offs between nutritious food and school fees, and emergency expenses for blood transfusions.

“Reporting should focus on lived experiences while providing accurate, actionable solutions.

“By humanising the data, media can drive awareness, influence policy, and ultimately save lives,” Dr. Njoku added.

Both speakers stressed that anaemia is preventable and treatable. They called for stronger domestic funding, improved supply chains, wider access to antenatal care and supplements, and community engagement to tackle the crisis. 

As Nigeria scales up these interventions, the message is that: adequate nutrition is not optional; it is essential for the health, development, and future productivity of Nigeria.