Niger State Government has secured a United States-backed grant to support efforts aimed at preventing malnutrition for over 36,000 women and children across 13 local government areas of the state.
The intervention, supported by the United States Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), was the focus of a pre-planning meeting with implementing partners held at the Niger State Planning Commission in Minna.
Speaking after the meeting with newsmen, the Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Planning Commission, Aishatu Usman, said the programme targets malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life, a critical period for the health and development of both mother and child.
According to her, UNICEF is bringing a grant from the United States Government to address the high burden of malnutrition in selected local government areas of the state.
“The UNICEF is coming with a grant from the United States of America to support the high impact of malnutrition in 13 LGAs in the state,” she said.
Usman expressed hope that the intervention would eventually be expanded beyond the initial coverage areas.
“We are hoping that the state will act, because there is a possibility of whether we can take the whole 25 local governments in the state, so that we can touch every local government,” she added.
She noted that although the grant commenced earlier, implementation in Niger State is beginning in June and will run until February 2027, making timely execution essential.
“We are going to work fast to be able to achieve the programme because it will end in February 2027,” she added.
Earlier, Chief of UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Dr. Gerida Birukila, who was represented by UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Chinwe Ezeife, said the grant would strengthen ongoing efforts to improve nutrition outcomes across the state.
She disclosed that the total grant allocation for Nigeria exceeds three million dollars, with implementation taking place in seven states, including Niger State.
According to her, UNICEF will provide technical support to ensure effective implementation of strategies designed to prevent malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of life.
“UNICEF will provide the technical support to Niger State Government in utilizing the U.S. grant towards implementing strategies for preventing malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life,” she said.
Ezeife further explained that the programme will focus on scaling up high-impact nutrition interventions for pregnant women and young children, with at least 36,000 children expected to benefit from nutrition support and related services.
She added that the initiative is aimed at improving the health and nutritional status of women and children while promoting healthy growth, proper brain development and better long-term outcomes for families across the state.
