Nigeria - Accelerating Nutrition Results Project

Overview & Synopsis

Ratings of Accelerating Nutrition Results Project for Nigeria were as follows: outcome was moderately satisfactory, Bank performance was satisfactory, and monitoring and evaluation quality was substantial. Some of the lessons learned include: leveraging the federated and decentralized architecture of Nigeria was instrumental in fast-tracking the implementation of several components of the ANRiN project. Enabling States to take on the leadership of procurement, mass media rollout, and workforce training, reinforcing ownership and sustainability greatly enhanced delivery with early movers having a net positive effect on more lagging states. Under ANRiN 2.0, further institutionalization within State Ministries of Budget and Planning and State Nutrition Committees, with oversight from Executive Governors, positions states to drive results and enhance accountability. This lesson has been taken forward into ANRiN 2.0 where State PIUs now report directly to the State Committees on Food and Nutrition thereby leveraging their proximity to decision-making loci and convening power for multisectoral accountability. Applying an innovative social behavior change strategy by working directly through the faith-based leaders and using both Quran and Bible verses respectively provide was impactful. ANRiN's social behavior change through a mass media campaign, interpersonal counseling by health workers, coupled with the faith leaders’ strategy was innovative and effective. A successfully implemented multisectoral pilot in Gombe State has provided lessons regarding multisectoral convergence that are already being used in other states. Five sectors collaborated to deliver 11 essential services with joint planning, budgeting, and monitoring. Successes included Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives in schools and household behavior change, offering a replicable model for convergence and coordination. The model continues to provide lessons for Nigeria’s nation-wide Nutrition-774 initiative as well as the follow on ANRiN 2.0 operation, both of which are multisectoral in nature.