The Federal Government will deploy Nigeria’s network of more than 13,000 Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) to deliver nutritious food support to vulnerable pregnant women and children under six.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja while outlining the operational framework of the newly launched National Community Food Bank intervention.
Aina said the health integrated social protection programme aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Eight-Point Agenda. He explained that the intervention would not function as a standalone food distribution scheme, but as a structured extension of maternal and child health services delivered at PHCs nationwide.
According to him, trained health workers will assess pregnant women and mothers of young children who visit health facilities, determine vulnerability status, and enrol eligible beneficiaries into a digital database linked to their National Identification Number (NIN). “Only those assessed as vulnerable within the health system will receive vouchers for monthly food supplies,” he said.
He added that the vouchers would be redeemable at community food banks located in close proximity to PHCs, ensuring ease of access and reducing diversion risks.
The NPHCDA boss said the integration of food support with antenatal care, immunisation services and child growth monitoring would improve nutrition outcomes, strengthen early childhood development and enhance school readiness.
“This is about protecting Nigeria’s future human capital. Nutrition begins from pregnancy, and the health system provides the most reliable platform to reachsaid.
He noted that the initiative would also stimulate local economies, as food items would be sourced from local farmers and fishermen through the Bank of Agriculture, thereby linking agriculture to health and social investment.
To ensure accountability, he said beneficiaries would be tracked digitally, while performance and financial management officers, alongside community-based committees, would monitor implementation to minimise leakages. mothers and children,” he
