By: Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has launched a nutrition intervention programme in Kebbi State aimed at addressing the growing burden of child malnutrition through the use of “Tom Brown,” a locally produced food supplement made from sorghum, soya beans, and groundnuts.
The initiative is expected to benefit more than 16,000 children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition by the end of 2026.
MSF said the programme was introduced following a sharp rise in severe acute malnutrition cases recorded between 2024 and 2025. According to the organisation, children with moderate malnutrition were increasingly deteriorating into severe and life-threatening conditions, prompting the need for early intervention measures.
Speaking on the initiative, MSF Nigeria Country Coordinator, Stuart Alexander Zimble, described malnutrition as one of the leading causes of death among children under five in Kebbi State.
He called on government authorities and humanitarian partners to strengthen efforts to prevent avoidable child deaths linked to malnutrition and poor access to healthcare services.
Under the first phase of the programme, MSF will distribute about 20,000 kilograms of the Tom Brown flour blend to moderately malnourished children aged between six months and five years in Jega and Maiyama Local Government Areas.
The intervention also includes community health promotion, malaria testing, family planning services, and support for early detection of malnutrition.
MSF noted that a similar programme implemented in Gombe State between 2022 and 2023 achieved a recovery rate of over 90 per cent among participating children.
The organisation expressed optimism that the use of locally sourced ingredients and community-based production models would provide a sustainable solution to malnutrition and improve child survival outcomes across Kebbi State and beyond.
