…as World bank invests $233m nutrition funds in 12 states,
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Experts from the nutrition sector have emphazied the need for adequate National data in tracking nutrition funding and implementation in Nigeria.
At a 2 Day Stakeholders meeting tagged ” Strengthening Nutrition Data Value Chain in Nigeria: National Nutrition Data and Results Conference” in Abuja on Tuesday, the President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Professor Wasiu Afolabi said, “Nutrition value chain is a key instrument for nutrition development in Nigeria.
Commending the convergence of stakeholders for a national data on nutrition in the country, said this is the first time that partners and government are coming together to collect data on nutrition, analyze and write reports and results to make data available for nutrition planning policy makers to inform programmes to address malnutrition in the country.
Afolabi said, ” Nigeria is going to chat a new course on how to handle it’s nutrition problem” , adding that over the years nutrition funding has been very poor but now government is taking steps towards providing adequate budgetry allocation.
The Nutrition expert further stressed the need for timely release of allocations for nutrition.
However Afolabi added that for the country to tow the right direction government should indulge in adequate investment and do more of advocacy at the state level to governors to show them the reality and importance of nutrition through the use of data.
World Bank Senior Health Specialist who is also the Task Team Lead of ANRIN, Accelerating Nutrition Result in Nigeria, Dr. Ritgak Tilley – Gyado said that the World Bank as a critical stakeholder and partner of the government of Nigeria in trying to shape the landscape of nutrition in the nation.
“World Bank has financed the largest nutrition investment in the country with 232 million dollars investment in 12 states like Abia, Oyo, Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Kwara , Plateau , Nasarawa, Gombe which are generating for the first time Nutrition results in large scale.”
The UNICEF Chief of Nutrition, Nemat Hajeebhoy who spoke to newsmen stated that data can be used to make leaders accountable to the services that they have promised every child, adding that UNICEF believes that every child has a right to survive and thrive and nutrition is critical for children to thrive.
UNICEF appealed to stakeholders to use the data to ensure that health, food systems are for social development.
She also called on all stakeholders in the private and government sector to support mothers to ensure that they get the right nutrition for their children for a right start in life.
Minister of State for Health, Hon. Ekumankama Joseph urged partners to join hands with government to strengthen the system by delivering quality nutrition data.
Joseph assured that recommendations from the conference to address the Nutrition data would be used to advance the Health Management information system for a better nutritional outcomes.
Good nutrition is vital for good health, therefore quality nutrition data at the national and sub national levels are fundamental for designing good programs that address nutritional health burdens and track progress on implementation towards achieving the nutrition targets of the National Multi-Sectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition (NMPFAN, 2021-2025) and the 2030 Sustainable Development goals, the minister stated
