Nigeria moves to localise production, funding as MMS rollout expands for pregnant women

Nigeria is stepping up efforts to ensure the long-term availability of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for pregnant women as donor-supported supplies begin to decline, with the Federal Government, development partners, civil society and industry agreeing on the need for sustainable financing and local manufacturing. Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja supported by the development […]

Nigeria is stepping up efforts to ensure the long-term availability of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for pregnant women as donor-supported supplies begin to decline, with the Federal Government, development partners, civil society and industry agreeing on the need for sustainable financing and local manufacturing.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja supported by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), Helen Ikiebie, Director of the Occupational Health and Safety Division in the Department of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, who represented the Director of the Department of Nutrition, Adegbite Olufumilola, said the nationwide rollout of MMS was made possible by strong political backing.

“The introduction of MMS into antenatal care services followed a ministerial approval that created an enabling policy environment for nationwide scale-up,” she said.

Ikiebie explained that government is now focused on sustainability as external support tapers off.

“Beyond policy adoption, the government is prioritising sustainable financing and domestic production to ensure uninterrupted availability of MMS, especially as donor-supported free supplies begin to wind down,” she said, adding that “all states have created budget lines for MMS following sustained sub-national advocacy.”

She noted that distribution is also being strengthened through Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) weeks in partnership with development agencies.

At the international level, Ritgak Gyado, a Senior Health Specialist and Task Team Lead for the World Bank-supported Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) 2.0 project, said sustainability remains the biggest challenge.

“Between 2021 and 2024, about 1.2 million pregnant women received MMS under ANRiN 1.0 after Nigeria institutionalised the supplement, but sustaining supply beyond donor support remains a key concern,” Gyado said.

She stressed that local production is the surest path forward, citing Bangladesh as an example.

“Bangladesh now produces and distributes MMS through both free public channels and over-the-counter sales, and Nigeria can learn from that experience,” she added.

The President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Salisu Abubakar, said Nigeria’s decision to switch from iron–folic acid to MMS was based on strong scientific evidence.

“Nigeria’s adoption of MMS was grounded in evidence showing better maternal and birth outcomes compared to the long-used iron–folic acid supplements,” he said.
He explained that MMS, based on the UNIMAP formulation, “contains 15 essential micronutrients and has been shown to reduce anaemia, low birth weight and poor pregnancy outcomes.”

However, Abubakar cautioned that challenges remain. “While acceptability among pregnant women has been high, access to antenatal care, health facility capacity and consistent commodity availability are still major constraints,” he said.

From the civil society perspective, Sunday Okoronkwo, Programme Lead at Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), said the country’s transition to MMS was guided by evidence and global best practice.

“Nigeria’s transition to MMS has been driven by implementation research in line with World Health Organisation recommendations,” he said.

Okoronkwo disclosed that a nationwide study conducted with the Federal Ministry of Health assessed “acceptability, adherence and cost-effectiveness of MMS,” adding that “community engagement and last-mile distribution helped prevent stock-outs during the pilot phase.”

Development partner Sight and Life also threw its weight behind localisation. Its Nigeria Country Programme Manager, Zainab Abubakar, said the organisation is backing government efforts on multiple fronts.

“We are supporting the federal government to scale MMS through demand generation, financing research and local manufacturing,” she said, adding that “locally produced MMS will reduce costs, improve availability and open up access for government procurement and health insurance schemes.”

The pharmaceutical industry also called for a decisive shift away from imports and donations. Frank Muonemeh, representing the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), urged government to back local producers.

“No country builds a sustainable health system on donations,” Muonemeh said, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic and global supply chain disruptions as lessons on the risks of over-reliance on imports.