The Kwara State Government has pledged to continue to evolve policies toward tackling infant malnutrition across the 16 local government areas of the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, made the pledge during a meeting organised by the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria project stakeholders’ exit with Solina Health on Wednesday in Ilorin.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Kwara Ministry of Health, Afusat Ibrahim, the commissioner said that the challenge of malnutrition had not been fully addressed, adding that the state would not relent in its effort to tackle the menace.

Ms El-Imam said that the initiative of the state government on child nutrition such as Kwara baby-friendly was yielding positive results.

According to her, nutrition programmes are a continuous process, describing it as “labour of love, dedicated to addressing problems of the vulnerable population.

He said, “Over the past four years, we have witnessed remarkable transformation. Our children have received several doses of vitamin A, Zinc, ORS, deworming drugs and doses of micronutrient powder, all of which make the younger ones grow stronger, healthier and energetic. Pregnant women have gained vital knowledge and resources to ensure that their babies are given the best possible start in life.”

She reiterated the state government’s commitment to improve nutrition knowledge, enhance access to essential foods and ultimately foster healthier generations.

The Solina Health Programme Director, Dr Ibrahim Abraham, said the organisation recorded some successes over the years on child nutrition in the state.

He explained that the lessons learnt were documented and would ultimately contribute to the success of the project in Kwara.

Mr Abraham pointed out that nutrition was central to good health and that once nutrition was lost, everything would be lost.

He explained that democratically-elected local government council chairmen and councillors now have freedom to function, following the Supreme Court judgment to accord autonomy to the third tier of government.

He stated, “With that autonomy, the councils now have a lot to do on the issue of children nutrition in the state.”

The programme director commended the Kwara State Government, key community stakeholders, traditional and religious leaders for their support to the organisation toward implementing its programmes.

In his submission, the ANRiN State Project Coordinator, Dr Habeeb Lawal, emphasised the need for sustained activities to promote healthy nutrition for children and
pregnant women.

Pointing out the importance of funding for the activities, Ms Lawal stated that “more funding from partners and government is needed, while local governments also play their role to support child nutrition.”

(NAN)