National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
By Blessing Osemobor
Founder of Community Pot, Oluwakemi Jeje, has called for a shift from charity-driven responses to commercially viable, innovation-led solutions, as malnutrition continues to silently undermine Nigeria’s human capital and economic progress.
She made this call during the virtual Private Sector Roundtable on Sustainable Nutrition, held on August 5, 2025.
The high-level event, themed “Nigeria’s Next Frontier for Human Capital & Business Returns,” brought together government officials, agrifood businesses, development partners, and consultants to explore how the private sector can take the lead in solving the country’s nutrition crisis.
In her address, Jeje challenged companies to rethink nutrition as a business opportunity rather than a philanthropic obligation.
“We discovered early on that donations alone are not sustainable in a country where over two million children are severely malnourished,” she said. “Brands must plug in, from production to distribution. If charity alone could solve it, it would have by now.”
She stressed that Nigeria’s malnutrition problem is too massive to be addressed by donors and emergency responders alone, urging private sector players to embed nutrition into their core operations.
Delivering the keynote address, Director of Economic Planning at the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Saheed Olowonishaye, emphasised the interconnectedness of nutrition and national development.
According to him, nutrition is a multisectoral responsibility; it spans health, agriculture, education, environment, local government, and the private sector.
“No matter how many roads or hospitals we build, they won’t matter if we lack the manpower to manage them,” he said.
Olowonishaye warned that continued inaction would compromise Nigeria’s ability to build capable institutions, as malnourished children cannot grow into strong, effective leaders.
One of the speakers at the roundtable who is a Consultant at Sahel Consulting, Hauwa Ali,, highlighted the impact of disrupted global supply chains.
“With the shutdown of international suppliers of therapeutic foods, there’s a huge opportunity for Nigerian companies to develop affordable, nutrient-rich alternatives,” she said.
Ali noted that businesses do not have to choose between profit and purpose.
“With the right data and alignment, both NGOs and businesses can achieve the same outcome and impact,” she added.
For the HR Lead, FlourMills of Nigeria (Agro Allied division), Christianah Olukanni, nutrition should be integrated into corporate strategy.
“Nutrition goals and business goals are not opposing forces, they can and must work hand in hand,” she said.
She added that food is no longer just about filling bellies, but about nutritional value.
“The real focus is now on the nutritional value of what we serve.”
She called for a mindset shift across the food industry, where the emphasis is placed not only on quantity but also on quality and sustainability.
Also speaking, Director of Health and Nutrition at the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Dr. Francis Aminu, underscored the need for systemic change and sustained learning.
“The private sector shouldn’t just be funders, they must be co-creators. You can’t ask people to eat nutritious food or wash their hands when the systems don’t support it.”
Dr. Aminu however, advocated for the MEAL approach—Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning, stating that, its a way to make nutrition programming adaptive, inclusive, and long-term.
Community Pot is a social impact initiative focused on ending malnutrition in Nigeria through data-driven education, multisector partnerships, and locally sustainable solutions. The organisation leads the Nutrition Support Centre (NSC) initiative, which is creating a new model for nutrition delivery and access in Nigeria.
Since 2022, Community Pot has been a pillar of hope, serving over 800 children in underserved communities across Nigeria with specialised, organic protein meals.
