Team Europe Backs Nutrition Drive as NutriK Expands Local Production in Kano

A Team Europe delegation led by the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, has visited NutriK’s production facility in Kano.

The delegation, which included ambassadors and representatives from EU Member States and UNICEF, toured the company’s facility in the Kano Free Trade Zone as part of a broader mission to review initiatives contributing to nutrition, health, sustainable livelihoods, and economic development in northern Nigeria.

NutriK’s is a French-Nigerian company and a subsidiary of the France-based Nutriset Group. The company produces Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a specialised nutritional product used in the treatment of severe acute malnutrition among children.
Currently, NutriK’s relies on imported groundnuts because the processing of locally grown groundnuts does not yet meet the required quality standards. The company is, however, working closely with local producers to improve raw material processing.
NutriK’s Managing Director, Abdoulkader Yonli, explained that the company is investing in local processing capacity and expects to begin using Nigeria-sourced groundnuts in production within the coming months, thereby reducing dependence on imported inputs.
“Using locally grown groundnuts as well as soya will significantly reduce costs, enable us to expand production, and positively impact the entire value chain, from farming and processing to distribution and employment,” Yonli said.
He further stressed that NutriK’s remains fully committed to combating malnutrition through both treatment and prevention.
“Currently, there are two facilities of this kind in Nigeria, located in Kano and Lagos, while most RUTF products are sourced from abroad. Demand remains much higher than our production capacities,” he added.
NutriK’s recently relocated to the Kano Free Trade Zone. The expansion was financed by Proparco, the private-sector financing arm of the French Development Agency Group, as part of efforts to strengthen local manufacturing and build resilient nutrition supply chains.
The development also highlights the role of the Kano Free Trade Zone in attracting investment and supporting industrial growth. NutriK’s currently employs 180 people directly, while many more benefit indirectly through suppliers, service providers, and agricultural activities linked to production. As local sourcing expands, the number of farmers participating in the value chain is expected to increase.
“The products manufactured here are helping to support vulnerable children while demonstrating how investment, innovation, and the business-friendly conditions created by the Kano authorities contribute to human development and economic growth,” Ambassador Gautier Mignot said.
“We came here to learn more about the progress being made, engage with partners on the ground, and explore how collaboration between Kano, the European Union, UNICEF, and the private sector can continue to deliver results,” he added.
According to UNICEF, an estimated two million children in Nigeria suffer from severe acute malnutrition.