According to the World Bank (2016), every dollar invested in nutrition interventions, would yield between $4 and $35 in economic returns. If the Government of Rivers state improves investments and releases funds timely for nutrition specific and sensitive interventions, this will:
R45 deaths per 1000 live births, and an infant mortality rate of 40 per 1000 live births in 2013 (MICS,
2016). Interestingly, nutrition which is an essential component of wellbeing over the years has been
neglected with 16.9 percent of children under five are stunted, 5.5 percent are wasted; 7.5 percent are
underweight (NDHS, 2018) and only 49.1 percent of children less than 6 months are exclusively breastfed (MICS, 2016). Adequate nutrition is essential to children’s growth and development. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life (the period from conception to age 2) is especially important for optimal physical, mental and cognitive growth, health and development.
