The Kaduna State Government, led by Gov. Uba Sani, has reaffirmed its dedication to combating malnutrition in the state.
This commitment was made by the Chairman of the State Steering Committee on Food and Nutrition at a one-day nutrition stakeholders meeting, Mukhtar Ahmed on Thursday in Kaduna.
Ahmed, who doubles as the Commissioner, Planning and Budget Commission, said that the state government has taken significant steps to address malnutrition.
He listed the steps to include creating a dedicated budget line for nutrition in the 2025 appropriation bill at the Ministry of Health and the State Primary Healthcare Board.
Ahmed added that the state now has a designated Chairman for the House Committee on Nutrition, and desk officers have been appointed across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to coordinate nutrition efforts.
He equally said that a substantial allocation of ₦50 million has been earmarked for nutrition activities at the Primary Healthcare Board.
He congratulated the state’s dedicated team and partners for the significant progress reflected in the recently released National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 2023-2024 data.
The Chairman said, the achievements demonstrated the hard work and unwavering dedication of the nutrition team, Ministries, MDAs as well as development partners.
He also highlighted notable improvements made by Kaduna state in 2023-2024 to include
decline in stunting rates, adding that its severe cases have decreased to 16.8 per cent, down from 22.10 per cent in 2018.
Ahmed equally said there was a reduction in severe wasting to 0.3 per cent, a decrease from 1.1 per cent in 2018.
He also said the decrease in severe underweight has fallen to 6.0 per cent down from 7.60 per cent in 2018.
Ahmed emphasised that the achievements were commendable and deserving of recognition for the collaborative efforts that have brought the state so far.
The Commissioner however, said as the state celebrates the successes, it must remain vigilant, emphasising that the journey toward eliminating malnutrition is ongoing.
Earlier, the Chairman of the State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN), Bashir Muhammed, explained that the essence of the gathering was to to bring together stakeholders to advocate and sensitise them on the need for sustained efforts in fighting malnutrition in kaduna state,
Representatives of development partners delivered goodwill messages, commending the government for its efforts in fighting malnutrition.
A presentation was delivered by the State Nutrition Officer on the overview of nutrition status in the state, as well as a detailed presentation on resource mobilisation on strategy for nutrition financing in the state by Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN).
Stakeholders at the meeting included the Chairman of the House Committee on Food and Nutrition, Chairman. House Committee on Agriculture, and the General Manager Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency
(KADA).
Others were the officials of the National Primary Healthcare Board, the State Primary Health Care Board, representative of the Commissioner for Education, Society for Family Health and the Muslim World League, among others.
NAN
