The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday handed over critical nutrition supplies to the Enugu State Government to combat malnutrition among children and pregnant women.
The items include Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), designed to prevent and treat malnutrition. SQ-LNS are nutrient-rich pastes given daily to children aged six to 23 months to prevent malnutrition, while RUTF is an energy-dense paste used to treat severe acute malnutrition.
The intervention is part of ongoing efforts to improve nutrition outcomes and ensure a healthier future for children and women in Enugu State.
At the handover ceremony in Enugu, UNICEF Nigeria Chief of Nutrition, Ms. Nemat Hajeebhoy, described the event as a landmark step in addressing malnutrition in the state. She explained that the intervention was implemented under the Child Nutrition Match Fund (CNF), an innovative co-financing mechanism in which UNICEF matches government contributions.
According to Hajeebhoy, the Enugu State Government invested N160 million, which UNICEF matched, enabling the procurement of 2,803 cartons of SQ-LNS, 843 cartons of RUTF, and 17,640 bottles of multiple micronutrient supplements for pregnant women.
She commended Governor Mbah’s leadership for prioritising child nutrition and noted that Enugu was among the first states to invest in preventive nutrition interventions. However, she expressed concern over rising malnutrition, noting that Nigeria has the highest number of malnourished children in Africa and the second highest globally.
“In Enugu, stunting among children under five rose from 12 per cent in 2013 to 15 per cent in 2024. This underscores the urgency of scaling up high-impact interventions, especially within the first 1,000 days of life,” she said.
Hajeebhoy urged the state government to ensure effective distribution of the supplies, strengthen monitoring systems, and raise community awareness to prevent misuse and ensure proper utilization.
Receiving the items on behalf of the governor, Deputy Governor Mr. Ifeanyi Ossai reaffirmed the state’s commitment to improving child health and nutrition. He thanked UNICEF for its support and noted that more holistic strategies are needed to address the root causes of malnutrition.
Ossai highlighted ongoing government efforts, including a large-scale school feeding programme, aimed at improving nutrition and easing the economic burden on families. “We must go beyond immediate interventions and address structural issues contributing to malnutrition,” he said, adding that the state remained committed to sustained investment in health and education.
Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Ngozi Enih, said the milestone reflected strong political will to improve child welfare. She noted that malnutrition affects children’s survival, cognitive development, and future productivity, and that the supplements would significantly strengthen the state’s response.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, described the initiative as a major step toward improving child health outcomes. She said the programme would help address stunting, support children’s physical and intellectual development, and contribute to the state’s broader economic growth agenda.
Ani-Osheku added that the programme would be sustained through collaboration with relevant ministries and local government authorities to ensure last-mile delivery and long-term impact.
