A new research report has warned that the Federal Government's planned scale-up of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women faces severe bottlenecks, including fragmented financing, affordability barriers, and an inadequate national supply chain. The findings were presented in Abuja at the launch of the MMS landscaping and segmentation study, jointly conducted by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, international nutrition organization Sight and Life, and the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), with support from the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).
Study reveals structural deficits
Presenting the findings, Dr. Stanley Ukpai, Director of Programs at dRPC, disclosed that Nigeria records approximately 7.8 million pregnancies annually, with a substantial number of expectant mothers battling chronic anemia. He noted that while pregnant women highly accept MMS over traditional iron and folic acid supplements, the transition remains hampered by economic realities.
“The research findings show that policy ambition alone will not deliver impact unless financing, access, and supply constraints are addressed together. Financing for MMS is still inconsistent and heavily donor-dependent. Women are willing to use MMS but many cannot afford it consistently, and current supply remains significantly below the level required for nationwide coverage,” he said.
Recommendations for sustainable scale-up
The report recommended the institutionalization of public financing, implementation of fair pricing measures to protect low-income women, and a transition toward local manufacturing to secure supply lines.
Country Programme Manager for Sight and Life, Zainab Abubakar, explained that the research was commissioned to map out how existing health financing architectures can absorb the scale-up cost without overburdening the populace. She pointed out that “limited funding, weak insurance inclusion, and heavy dependence on out-of-pocket spending continue to create barriers to equitable access to maternal nutrition services in Nigeria. The assessment identified practical pathways for sustainable MMS financing, highlighted implementation bottlenecks, and produced recommendations to help policymakers align financing decisions with national health priorities.”
Government commitment and next steps
In her presentation, Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr. Salma Ibrahim-Anas, emphasized that maternal nutrition remains central to the administration’s human capital development agenda. According to Anas, “The evidence supporting MMS is already strong. The priority now is not whether MMS works, but how to scale it effectively and equitably.”
Earlier, the Director of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Adegbite Olufunmilola, stated that the government had already integrated MMS into the revised national guidelines for antenatal care. She argued that the ongoing health sector renewal investment serves as a gateway to introduce local manufacturing, which would guarantee long-term product availability.
Also speaking, Executive Director of Nutrition at CIFF, Anna Hakobyan, added that the data provides “valuable evidence and practical insights to support Nigeria’s efforts to integrate micronutrient supplementation as part of wider sustainable maternal and child nutrition strategies.”
