Nigeria TV Info – UNICEF Raises Alarm as 60% of Pregnant Women in Nigeria Lack Micronutrient Supplements

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised concern over the health of pregnant women in Nigeria, revealing that about 60 per cent of them currently lack access to multiple micronutrient supplements needed to safeguard their lives and that of their unborn babies.

In a progress overview on nutrition campaigns, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare also disclosed that 58 per cent of women of reproductive age in the country are anaemic — a condition linked to malnourishment.

Nigeria presently ranks first in Africa and second globally in the prevalence of malnutrition, according to UNICEF Nutrition Officer, Prosper Dakurah.

Dakurah, speaking on Tuesday in Abuja during a Media Roundtable on “Anaemia Prevention, Reduction and other Nutrition Related National Issues in Nigeria,” organised by the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUN), said the situation goes beyond iron deficiency, extending to other critical micronutrients.

He added that government, in collaboration with development partners, has begun providing training materials aimed at equipping healthcare workers to deliver multiple micronutrient supplements to pregnant women nationwide.

UNICEF stressed that urgent action is needed to tackle malnutrition among expectant mothers to protect maternal health and ensure safer childbirth outcomes.