FG, World Bank’s planned $350m nutrition programme ongoing – Minister

Federal Government on Tuesday assured that the launch of $350 million programme aimed at addressing the challenge of malnutrition in collaboration with World Bank has reached advance stage.

The programme, according to Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health was aimed at assisting 13 million malnutritioned and stunted growth Nigerian children.

Available survey noted that about 11 million children are stunted in Nigeria while UNICEF estimates that 2.5 million Nigerian children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).

Adewole disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the two-day Conference on Maternal/Child Nutrition in Nigeria held at the instance of House Committee on Healthcare Services and UNICEF.

The Minister who was represented by Adebimpe Adebiyi, Director, Family Health in the Federal Ministry of Health, disclosed that the sum of N1.2 billion was set aside for procurement of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) paste for treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the 2017 Appropriation Act.

“The Federal Ministry of Health is preparing a national nutrition project that would be financed with approximately $350 million from the World Bank to enable the implementation of the Strategic Plan of Action for Nutrition,” he said.

He however noted that little progress recorded overall, hence the resolve to scale up services that will save the lives millions of children.

Experts warn that if drastic action is not taken, one in five of these children will die.

On her part, Pernille Ironside, UNICEF representative urged government at the federal and state levels to prioritise prevention and treatment of malnutrition among children, not only as a developmental intervention, but also as an investment that yields high interests.

She said: “Investing in nutrition is not only a moral imperative, it is an important ingredient for economic growth. In Nigeria, every N1,000 invested, yields N16,000 in return.”

While delivering the keynote address, Speaker Yakubu Dogara emphasised the need for the legislative arm of government to play lead role in curbing the scourge of malnutrition.

Dogar who was represented by Binta Bello, House Deputy Minority Whip, maintained that, no nation has attained great socio-economic development without its citizens being healthy and nutrition has been found to be a driver for development.

Similarly, Okafor said the Committee partnered with UNICEF and members of states Houses of Assembly in order to address the challenges of malnutrition in Nigeria more effectively.