Nigeria Faces Critical Child Malnutrition Crisis Amidst Funding Cuts

Nigeria Faces Critical Child Malnutrition Crisis Amidst Funding Cuts
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Nigeria is grappling with a severe child malnutrition crisis, particularly in its northern regions, with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reporting 652 child deaths due to malnutrition in Katsina State alone within the first six months of 2025, Al Jazeera reported. This alarming situation is exacerbated by significant funding cuts from international donors, including the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union.

MSF has provided medical care to nearly 70,000 malnourished children in Katsina State by the end of June, with close to 10,000 requiring hospitalization for severe conditions. The organization notes a staggering 208 percent increase in severe malnutrition cases in Katsina this year compared to the same period last year.

Beyond funding shortfalls, several factors contribute to the escalating crisis. These include widespread disease outbreaks due to low vaccine coverage, limited access to basic healthcare services, and socioeconomic challenges. The situation is further compounded by rampant insecurity and violence, such as banditry, which has forced many to abandon their farms and livelihoods.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has also been severely impacted, forced to suspend food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in Nigeria’s conflict-hit northeast due to critical funding shortfalls. This suspension could lead to the closure of 150 nutrition clinics and place an additional 300,000 children at risk of severe malnutrition. MSF is urgently appealing for the mobilization of resources to address the enormous need for both prevention and treatment of malnutrition across northern Nigeria.