Malnourished children and desperate mothers: the healthcare facility on the frontline of Nigeria’s hunger crisis

Malnutrition Crisis Grips Nigeria's Katsina State

A healthcare facility in Kaita community, Katsina state, is on the frontline of Nigeria's hunger crisis, with thousands of malnourished children and desperate mothers seeking medical attention. The facility, run by the Alliance for International Medical Action (Alima) and local officials, has treated over 36,000 children for malnutrition last year alone. Medical personnel use colour-coded tape to measure the diameter of children's arms to determine their levels of malnutrition, while a steady stream of mothers, some as young as 15, bring in their critically ill children. The Red Cross has warned that up to 33 million Nigerians could face severe hunger this year, a record figure, with 6.4 million children expected to be acutely malnourished by the end of 2026.

Katsina state is at the centre of the intergenerational hunger crisis in Nigeria, where climate shocks, poor governance, and attacks by non-state actors have exacerbated food insecurity. The doctor-to-patient ratio in Nigeria is roughly 1:9,000, far less than the 1:600 recommended by the World Health Organization. Digital health startups and private-sector partnerships have made inroads in big cities, but not elsewhere due to infrastructure shortcomings and inflation.

The facility faces an impossible challenge, but local residents say it has been a lifesaver for people living nearby. The Nigerian government has partnered with the World Bank to provide basic nutrition packages to millions of vulnerable households, but experts say more needs to be done to increase food affordability for vulnerable households and social protection alongside sustained investment in maternal nutrition.