Photo: Senator Oluremi Tinubu
Nigeria’s National Community Food Bank Programme secured pledges exceeding N66 billion at its launch on Thursday, as government and private sector leaders committed funds to tackle rising hunger and malnutrition.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, announced the total during the inauguration of the programme’s Board of Trustees at the State House Conference Centre, an event hosted by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
Private sector contributions were led by the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which pledged N20 billion in-kind support over five years, followed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited with a N10 billion commitment over the same period. The Emeka Offor Foundation pledged N500 million upfront, while additional donations included $500,000 from undisclosed contributors.
Pate said Bola Tinubu had approved a N17 billion intervention through the Social Action Fund to support the initiative, which will focus on community-level procurement of locally sourced food across Nigeria’s wards and local governments.
He added that if all 36 state governments contribute N500 million each, an additional N18 billion would be mobilised, significantly boosting the programme’s funding base. Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said he would consult with fellow governors on providing counterpart funding.
Officials said the programme aims to establish food banks in every local government area, linked to primary healthcare centres and supported by the Bank of Agriculture. It is designed to provide nutritious food through a voucher system to vulnerable groups, including children under six, pregnant and lactating women, and low-income households.
Pate said the initiative comes at a critical time as Nigeria grapples with rising food insecurity and malnutrition, which continues to contribute to high child mortality rates and poor health outcomes. “It is both a moral and national imperative that no Nigerian child goes to bed hungry,” he said.
The programme will be implemented through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, leveraging existing healthcare infrastructure to reach communities.
Representatives of local governments, development partners and traditional institutions pledged support for the initiative, describing it as a grassroots-driven response to Nigeria’s growing cost-of-living crisis.
