Nigeria, with a population of over 140 million and enormous natural resources, has achieved remarkable success in its Universal Salt Iodization (USI) programme. The USI programme took-off effectively in Nigeria in 1993, at a time when only 40% of salt consumed in Nigeria was iodized. Over the following 5 years, goitre prevalence decreased to 11% at sentinel sites, and household access to iodized salt increased to 98%.

Today, Nigeria is the flagship of African nations, acting on and succeeding in mitigating the large-scale losses of brain-power and productivity caused by IDD. Virtually all Nigeria’s newborns are protected against the mental impairment arising from the absence of iodine, in adequate quantity, in the diet.

Perhaps the most telling lesson learned from the USI project in Nigeria is the partnership principle. By mobilizing the private sector (including manufacturers), government agencies, and development partners to work for a common, mutually-beneficial goal, Nigeria took a significant step in assuring the wellbeing of its future, today’s Nigerian child. Equally significant is the fact, important for the West African sub-region, that without Nigeria’s USI success, 76% of households in the sub-region would have lacked access to iodized edible salt, not the 41% currently reported for the subregion.