The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has budgeted $2.5 billion in the 2023 to 2027 Nigeria Country Strategy Plans (CSP) geared towards achieving zero hunger and improved nutrition nationwide.

Seriene Loum, head of programme, WFP, said this at the co-creation workshop organised by the organisation in collaboration with the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Loum, who represented the WFP country director, said the organisation’s strategic goal was to ensure a world without hunger in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (1 and 2) on poverty and zero hunger.

He said the organisation would work closely with member states of the United Nations, including Nigeria, to mobilise resources to be able to fully implement the programmes.

“The project focuses on food technology, fortification of supply chain management, improving nutrition and emergency preparedness responses.

“2023 to 2027 have five pillars, and each of them focuses on zero hunger and improved nutrition.

“We have some interventions that focus on emergency response, making sure that people will not go to bed hungry, which are lifesaving activities that aim to provide immediate food assistance to people in need,’’ he said.

Mr Loum identified Nigeria as operating one of the biggest social safety net programmes in Africa.

He said it was also encouraging that Nigeria had an ambitious safety nets programme target at uplifting hundreds of millions of its populace out of poverty.

Mr Loum said: “Considering the current economic trend and level of vulnerabilities in Nigeria, the Cadre Harmonised (C result of October 2024) reveals that about 25 million Nigerians are acutely food insecure and projected to reach 33 million between June and August 2025.

“It is therefore expedient that all stakeholders, most especially WFP, need to work together with the federal government for this very ambitious goal to be achieved,’’ he said.

Also, Badamasi Lawal, the chief executive officer of NSIPA, said the seminar was meant to harness collective expertise and resources to achieve meaningful impact in the lives of Nigerians.

Represented by Uche Obi, director of human resources management, he commended WFP for its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to address poverty, hunger and malnutrition.

“The NSIP launched in 2016, elevated to a full-fledged agency in 2023, has made significant strides in addressing poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.

“Through various programmes, including the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (NCTO), Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), Grant for Vulnerable Groups (GVG) and N-Power, we have reached millions of Nigerians.

“The WFP’s expertise in food security, nutrition and emergency response will be invaluable in enhancing our programmes and achieving greater impact.

“This collaboration will enable us to leverage each other’s strengths, share knowledge, and develop innovative solutions to address the complex challenges facing our nation,’’ he said.

(NAN)