The Country Representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Koffy Dominique, has reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to achieving zero-hunger in the country.

Speaking in Sokoto State on Saturday during an official engagement in the Tangaza Local Government Area of the state, Mr Dominique noted that FAO was targeting one million malnourished children for support in the state.

He said, “As part of its pilot intervention, FAO is collaborating with the Sokoto State ministry of health to distribute 21 metric tonnes of Tom Brown, a highly nutritious food, to 1,750 children aged 6 to 59 months. These are children recently discharged from Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) at the Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programme (TSFP) and Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) centres. The Tom Brown provides essential nutrients to help them gradually transition to normal family meals, preventing a relapse into acute malnutrition.’’ 

Mr Dominique further stated that the project was designed to improve food security and nutrition among vulnerable households, particularly pregnant and breastfeeding women, young girls, and children under five.

 He stated that with funding from the Government of France, FAO was partnering with the state government to implement food and nutrition assistance programmes by increasing access to nutritious food and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

He stated, “To further strengthen food security and nutritional awareness, FAO is working with the Sokoto State Ministries of Agriculture and Basic and Secondary Education to establish school gardens in four selected schools across the state. These gardens will serve as educational platforms to enhance agricultural knowledge, practical gardening skills, and nutrition awareness among school-aged children.’’

The country representative also said that the FAO was piloting the programme in Sokoto state, with plans to expand it across the seven states in North-West Nigeria.

 “In spite of a slight improvement in security, Nigeria still has 30.6 million displaced persons across the country. In the North-West alone, 11 million displaced persons account for 35 per cent of the national figure,” he said.

Mr Dominique emphasised that tackling food insecurity and malnutrition remained a top priority for FAO.

 “We are committed to supporting all North-West states in boosting food production and fighting malnutrition,” he assured.

 The Executive Secretary of the Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SSPHCDA), Larai Tambuwal, reaffirmed the state government’s full support and commitment to the initiative.

 She also commended traditional and religious leaders in the pilot areas for their cooperation in ensuring the programme’s success.

 The pilot intervention commenced in Tangaza and Rabah LGAs, with plans for further expansion across the state’s 23 LGAs. 

(NAN)