Register / Login

About

Who We Are

The SUN Business Network (SBN) Nigeria is the leading platform driving private sector engagement to combat malnutrition and transform food systems across the country. As part of the global Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, we collaborate with businesses, governments, and communities to enhance the production, distribution, and accessibility of affordable, nutritious food for all Nigerians.

We collaborate with enterprises of all sizes, equipping them with resources, partnerships, and expertise to deliver impactful solutions. By focusing on advocacy, capacity building, and access to finance, we empower businesses to thrive while addressing the critical challenge of malnutrition.

We work with innovative young agribusiness owners to develop and scale nutrition-integrated business models, enhancing their existing operations to deliver safer, more nutritious foods and drive food system transformation

We collaborate with women-led businesses to formulate and reformulate nutrient-dense complementary foods for infants aged six months and above, leveraging indigenous staples. We support innovative strategies that enhance market access and expand reach to underserved, vulnerable populations through social norm initiatives led by SBN members. Our work advocates for the review and refinement of policy guidelines and practices that support sustainable food systems. We provide context-specific support to enterprises with nutrition

commitments, helping them enhance consumer demand for nutritious products, drive innovation across the food value chain, and improve overall nutrition outcomes. Together with our members and partners, we are building a healthier, more resilient Nigeria—where better nutrition fuels economic growth and social development.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria joined the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in November 2011, following a letter of commitment from Prof. C.O. Onyebuchi Chukwu, the country’s health minister at the time. The SUN Business Network (SBN) in Nigeria was formalised five years later in 2016, after which a coordinator was appointed to liaise with the government on matters of private sector and nutrition. With over 380 members and counting, SBN Nigeria is consistently expanding its reach, increasingly working at the subnational level. In Nigeria, the SUN Business Network (SBN) is convened by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The SUN Business Network in Nigeria was launched on 21st April, 2016 at a convening of Businesses, NGOs, UN Agencies, Donors and Government. In a Call to Action at the launch event, the Strategy for SBN was laid out with the Purpose, Vision, Target Areas and Core Objectives clearly identified (after wide consultation) to engage businesses in nutrition. SBN is also working with the Government of Nigeria to chart entry points for businesses to contribute to a reduction in malnutrition, in line with Nigeria’s National Food and Nutrition Policy.

At SBN Nigeria, our work revolves around five key priorities:

  • Advocacy: Promoting greater involvement of private sector actors in nutrition to create sustainable impact.
  • Consumer Awareness: Driving demand for nutritious foods through awareness campaigns led by our members.
  • Policy Engagement: Supporting private sector participation in shaping and implementing government nutrition policies.
  • Access to Nutritious Foods: Enhancing availability and affordability of healthy food options.
  • Workplace Nutrition: Facilitating initiatives that promote better nutrition in workplaces.

To achieve these goals, SBN Nigeria actively:

  • Facilitates business-to-business linkages and public-private dialogues.
  • Enhances access to finance for SMEs to scale and innovate.
  • Builds businesses’ capacity on nutrition and food safety, empowering them to improve their products and consumer outreach.
  • Strengthens indigenous supply chains by linking businesses with technical support from global and local partners.
  • Drives innovation in nutritious, locally produced, and affordable foods while addressing gaps in business structures.

Through these efforts, SBN Nigeria ensures that nutritious foods are accessible, affordable, and impactful for communities across Nigeria.

  • Established a dynamic and thriving community of over 500 businesses, primarily agribusinesses spanning diverse value chains. The majority have made voluntary SMART nutrition commitments, integrating best practices to enhance nutrition through their business models and operations.
  • This community, hosted on the WhatsApp social media platform, includes businesses from all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria and is led by an elected executive team composed of experienced chief executives from agribusinesses and consulting services.
  • Spearheaded the transformative Nutri-Pitch Competition accelerator program, nurturing and empowering dozens of exceptional nutrition-focused business ambassadors. Notably, winners of this prestigious competition were granted invaluable access to financial resources , ranging from technical assistance to grants and equipment financing, catalyzing their growth and impact.
  • Supported 23 SBN members through the KFMW project, mitigating the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This impactful initiative provided substantial grant assistance, ranging from 2 million to 9 million naira per business, fortifying their operational stability during challenging times.
  • Forged influential strategic alliances with prominent private sector partners, most notably collaborating closely with Chambers of Commerce in key states such as Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Cross-River, and Kebbi.
  • Enlightened and empowered a diverse spectrum of over 7000 individual business representatives through facilitated fundamental principles of nutrition and food safety. This comprehensive training has not only enriched their knowledge but also contributed to raising the overall standards of the business community.
  • Pioneered the establishment of five dynamic SBN subregional chapters, strategically located in the North-West, North Central, South-South, South-East, and South-West geo-zones of the nation.

Global Level

At a global level, SBN acts as a mechanism for engaging Multi-National Companies (MNCs) in nutrition and critically, for supporting national SBN networks to mobilize local businesses in line with national nutrition priorities and plans. This work is led by the SBN Global Secretariat who ensure that national SBN networks have the tools, information, resources, and connections required to make progress on their national SBN priorities. In addition to country support, the SBN Global Secretariat works with its 25 global MNC Network members to support nutrition commitment-making, including on workforce nutrition, and foster global partnerships with investors, MNCs and others to provide finance or technical assistance to country networks and most importantly, their business members. The SBN Global Secretariat also works with partners to organize and support the inclusion of country voices in global and regional Advocacy initiatives around nutrition.

Regional Level

The SBN Global Secretariat works through its team of strategically placed regional SBN focal points to strengthen strategic linkages and partnerships with regional businesses, organization, and platforms that have substantial reach across multiple countries within food systems across SUN countries. Our regional activities disseminating key learnings and best practices within and between countries.

National Level

At national level the network is led by specialist dedicated coordinators assisted by small teams. The coordinators have solid private background and understanding of the food systems. National networks also organise access to practical business solutions (including technical assistance, finance, business development support and technology), often through local providers, to improve businesses’ overall strength and readiness to enhance business practices for nutrition.

Sub-National Level

SBN Nigeria also works with dedicated executive members of the network elected by members, with the collective aim of empowering SMEs, food entrepreneurs and other national businesses to be more successful and to make a bigger contribution to nutrition priorities and national food system development. As part of this work, sub-national SBN teams work with the State government to strengthen nutrition plans and related policies for engaging the private sector in nutrition at sub-national levels.

Governance Structure

In Nigeria, the SBN is convened by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the United Nations’ (UN) World Food Programme (WFP). The SUN Business Network in Nigeria was launched on 21st April, 2016 at a convening of Businesses, NGOs, UN Agencies, Donors and Government.  In a Call to Action at the launch event, the Strategy for SBN was laid out with the Purpose, Vision, Target Areas and Core Objectives clearly identified (after wide consultation) to engage businesses in nutrition. It receives further support from an advisory group comprised of top business leaders from within Nigeria’s food and nutrition sector. SBN is also working with the Government of Nigeria to chart entry points for business to contribute to reduction in malnutrition in line with Nigeria’s National Food and Nutrition Policy.

The SUN Business Network in Nigeria receives financial support from our donor partners (The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands), as well as other GAIN Nigeria projects. This funding ensures we are able to provide an effective secretariat to mobilise the private sector to commit to and invest in improved business practices that contribute to national nutrition priorities.

Our incredible donor partners are, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands, Irish Aid, SUN Movement