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SITUATION OVERVIEW
An estimated two million children in Nigeria suffer from severe acute malnutrition, but only two out of every 10 children affected is currently reached with treatment. Malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths among children under five in the country.
The IPC Acute Malnutrition Analysis May 2024 – April 2025 for Nigeria indicates that 5.44m children in the North-East and North-West of the country are malnourished, including 1.8 million children with severe acute malnutrition and 3.6 million with moderately acute malnutrition. Additionally, 0.8 million pregnant or lactating women are suffering from acute malnutrition. Eight-four out of 133 local government areas (63 per cent) are classified as either IPC-AMN Phase 3 (serious) or Phase 4 (critical), with the remaining 47 local government areas at the alert stage.
The primary contributing factors to acute malnutrition in these regions include poor food consumption and diversity, in both quantity and quality, inadequate infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF), unsafe water and inadequate hygiene, the prevalence of waterborne diseases, low health-seeking behaviours, and poor health services.
States in northern Nigeria are most affected by two forms of malnutrition: stunting and wasting. High rates of malnutrition pose significant public health and development challenges for the country. Stunting, in addition to increasing the risk of death, is also linked to poor cognitive development, reduced educational performance, and low productivity in adulthood – all of which contribute to economic losses estimated to be as high as 11 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Persistent issues like banditry and conflict continue to trigger population displacement, limiting access to food, safe water and sanitation, as well as health services. The country’s economic situation, coupled with extreme climate events, exacerbates malnutrition by restricting farming, livelihoods, and income generation. A combination of flash floods, limited access to farmland due to insecurity and farmer-herder conflicts, and widespread population displacement has disrupted normal farming activities.
Humanitarian funding cuts have also affected access to lifesaving nutrition services for at least 40 per cent of the 2.3 million children and women in need of these services across the North-East states. The Health and Nutrition sectors have been severely impacted, with roughly 70 per cent of health service provision and 50 per cent of nutrition services affected. Progress in preventing malnutrition and expanding curative capacity is at risk of being reversed (Lean Season Multisectoral Plan, April 2025).
The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) has been responding to the malnutrition crisis since August 2024, with a focus on 90 communities in Yobe, Borno, and Adamwa states. A total of 340 volunteers are deployed providing health, IYCF, and nutrition education, integrated with protection services. Additionally, 195 mothers’ and papas’ clubs were set up to ensure community surveillance, referrals, and support mechanisms to vulnerable families. With this Emergency Appeal, the NRCS will scale-up their response, in line with escalating needs.