By Onome Amuge.
The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has signed a private sector partnership with Emzor Food and Beverages Limited, to build a medical-grade groundnut paste processing facility, an essential ingredient in life-saving Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), to tackle malnutrition in Nigeria.
A statement made available to Business A.M by the U.S. Department of State, Abuja, disclosed that in their dedication to reducing the number of malnourished children in Nigeria, Emzor and USAID each contributed $1 million to establish the UNICEF-approved groundnut paste processing facility, which will be one of only two on the African continent.
The partnership is expected to address the spate of malnutrition in the country, mainly in the northern states where about 3.6 million children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), while approximately 50 per cent of Nigerian children under the age of five die from the impact of malnutrition.
According to the statement, the RUTF is an energy-packed paste made from groundnut paste, oil, sugar, milk powder, and vitamin and mineral supplements to help treat SAM. It added that treatment with RUTF successfully brings SAM-afflicted children back from the brink of death by providing vital nutrients.
“After years of using expensive, imported groundnut paste from Argentina and India, Nigeria, through this game-changing partnership, will be able to treat children with locally produced RUTF, a more affordable and sustainable solution that will also create economic opportunities for Nigerian groundnut farmers,” the statement noted.
Speaking at the signing event,Anne Patterson, USAID mission director commended Stella Okoli, managing director of Emzor for embarking on the partnership and joining forces with the US Government.
“Together, we will improve access, availability, and acceptability of RUTF and ultimately contribute to improved treatment for severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria. In addition, the increase in demand for local medical-grade groundnut paste production will create new opportunities for local groundnut farmers, serve as a boon to Nigeria’s agriculture sector, and broaden inclusive economic growth,” Patterson added.
On her part, Okoli noted that the partnership highlights the private sector’s important role in addressing Nigeria’s most difficult development challenges.
The Emzor MD also disclosed that when complete, the plant will produce 400 kilogrammes of paste per hour, providing a local solution to severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria.
