#BellaNaijaMCM Michael Sunbola of Lagos Food Bank Initiative is Working to Achieve “Zero Hunger” in Nigeria

Roughly 50% of Nigeria’s population live below the poverty line, meaning basic necessities like food, shelter and clothing are hard to come by.

Our #BellaNaijaMCM this week Michael Sunbola has devoted his life to solving the food problem in Nigeria and achieving Sustainable Development Goals 2 – Zero Hunger – in his own little way.

In 2015, he founded Lagos Food Bank Initiative, a nonprofit, nutrition-focused initiative committed to combating malnutrition and improving the health of pregnant women and infants in rural communities.

The platform’s primary goal is to reach out to children aged 0 – 16, pregnant women and lactating mothers, patients of diet related illnesses, extremely indigent families, seniors aged 50 and above, and the destitute.

The platform, apart from running a food bank, also, through donations, establish and support farms in its host communities to sustain its programs.

LFBI also provide entrepreneurship training as well as job placement for its beneficiaries, so as to make them more independent and increase their earning power. Over 200 beneficiaries have gotten jobs through this initiative.

It also runs a Nutritious Meal Plan Intervention for Vulnerable Mothers and Children (NUMEPLAN), “a 16-month program that caters to the nutritious intake of pregnant women and infants who are malnourished, or vulnerable to malnutrition, in the under-served communities of Lagos.”

Lagos Food Bank has reached over 500,000 beneficiaries with a 7,000-person volunteer base.

Michael is the Managing Partner of Pundit Barristers & Solicitors. He holds a Bachelor of Law degree (Criminal Law/Corporate Law) and a Master of Law Degree both from the University of Lagos.

Michael is an arbitration practitioner and describes himself as one who has a grounded knowledge in the practice and procedure of arbitration and mediation proceedings, insolvency and debt recovery.

Michael is one of the participants selected for the 2019 Obama Foundation Leaders: Africa programme.

He’s a 2018/2019 LEAP Africa Social Innovators Programme Fellow.