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By : Nkechi Onyedika-Ugoeze, Abuja
Date: 30 Jan 2025
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Child malnutrition
The Kano State government has released 500 million in counterpart funding under the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) to scale up sustainable financing programmes and supplies to combat malnutrition.
The CNF is designed to support countries with high rates of child malnutrition and matches government investments to accelerate the prevention, detection, and treatment of manifestations of malnutrition.
CS-SUNN’s Executive Secretary, Mr Sunday Okoronkwo disclosed this after he led a delegation of nutrition partners (Alive and Thrive, UNICEF among others) and some Kano State delegates, Habib Umar, on a visit to the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II. He said Kano State mirrors Nigeria’s national malnutrition challenges.
According to the 2023-24 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), the country has 51.9 per cent of children under five are stunted, 38.4 per cent are underweight, and 10.4 per cent suffer from wasting.
From the statistics, Okoronkwo explained that with over 50per cent of children stunted, Kano is home to 3.4 million children under five, of whom 350,000 are wasted.
He said, “These alarming figures represent lives affected by malnutrition and its related conditions which hinder growth, weaken immunity, and reduce productivity later in adulthood.
“Through CNF- the state can increase its stock of essential nutrition commodities like Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS), Micronutrient Powder (MNP), Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) and others required to treat, manage and prevent malnutrition by 100 per cent.”
Okoronkwo, however, commended the state government for addressing malnutrition but emphasised the need for increased and timely funding to effectively tackle the growing burden of malnutrition and support the implementation of the state’s Food and Nutrition Strategy.
He emphasised the need for the state’s support in establishing Nutrition Departments across relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, extending paid maternity leave from three to six months and timely approving and releasing the CNF.
The advocacy team requested the Emir leverage his influence to unlock critical funding and catalyse action from key decision-makers for improved nutrition, including the release of the fund.
In his response, His Royal Highness emphasised the importance of prioritising nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. He pointed out that efforts are falling short at the most vital stages—before conception, at birth, and during breastfeeding and highlighted the need for focused action in these phases.
He stressed the need to ensure the well-being of women and children in Kano and emphasised his commitment to contributing to tackling the state’s malnutrition crisis.
Sanusi, who is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria and the Nutrition Council, urged stakeholders—commissioners of finance, budget, and health to prioritise nutrition. He underscored the urgency of addressing malnutrition, describing it as a moral duty to safeguard the future of Kano’s children and empower its women to thrive.
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