The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has advised the Imo State Government to increase its investment in maternal and child nutrition.
UNICEF’s Chief of Enugu Field Office, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, made the call on Thursday at a stakeholders’ meeting in Owerri.
The meeting focused on resource mobilisation and Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) for improved maternal and child nutrition.
Chiluwe, represented by UNICEF Nutrition Officer for the Enugu Field Office, Mrs Ngozi Onuorah, urged the state government to take ownership of the shift to MMS.
She said ownership should include policy formulation, implementation and adequate funding to ensure the programme achieves its intended impact.
She also urged the state to commit to the child nutrition fund to scale up MMS for pregnant women.
She said such a commitment would also ensure the adequate implementation of maternal and child health programmes across the state.
Chiluwe further stated that UNICEF and its support partners would provide funding support if the government made a firm commitment to the programme.
“Nutrition is an investment in human capital, and every naira invested in it contributes to healthier children.
“Let us invest in nutrition today to ensure the health, support and prosperity of Imo children tomorrow,” she said.
Also speaking, the Imo Commissioner for Health, Mrs Chioma Egu, assured stakeholders that the ministry would provide the necessary policy direction.
Egu, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Kennedy Adinnu, said the government would also coordinate efforts to ensure MMS reaches all pregnant women.
She restated the government’s commitment to viewing health as an investment rather than an expenditure.
She appealed to stakeholders to make concrete commitments to MMS and ensure immediate follow-up actions.
The ministry’s Nutrition Officer, Mr Etienne Obidah, said the state had remained stagnant in maternal and child health.
Obidah called for holistic action that would not only be reflected in statistics but also be felt by communities.
He said sustained commitment was necessary to achieve meaningful improvement in maternal and child health outcomes across the state.
It was reported that health officers from each Local Government Area attended the meeting.
