By Adedapo Adesanya
Mr Bill Gates, the co-chair of the Gates Foundation, is in Nigeria and will meet leaders, youths, and partners to address health challenges, drive innovations, and improve nutrition in Africa.
A statement by the foundation said that Mr Gates would meet with national and local leaders, partners, grantees, and innovators during his visit.
“Gates, alongside other foundation leaders, will meet with experts in primary health care, agriculture, and nutrition who are driving progress across the continent, despite economic challenges,” the foundation said.
It said that the co-chair would also participate in a pan-African virtual dialogue addressing malnutrition through integrated health, agriculture, and financing solutions.
For this dialogue, it disclosed that Mr Gates would be joined by American musician, educator, and humanitarian, Jon Batiste.
Every hour, 100 children under 5 years die of malnutrition in Nigeria, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Nigeria loses about 2,400 children to malnutrition daily.
According to the Global Hunger Trend, there has been an increase in malnourished children compared to the previous year.
In 2023, the proportion of malnourished children increased from 9.3 per cent to 15.9 per cent.
As of last year, 35 million children under five years of age suffered from malnourishment.
Also, 12 million children had stunted growth, 3 million wasted from excessive and rapid weight loss, and 23.5 million were anaemic.
The average reduction in stunting is only 1.4 per cent per year.
Meanwhile, other cases related to malnutrition, such as child wasting, child stunting and child mortality, have continued to decline.
Modupe Gbadeyanka