The Kaduna State Emergency Nutrition Action Plan, in collaboration with UNICEF, has mobilised the 23 LGA chairpersons in Kaduna to elicit their buy-in towards addressing malnutrition, especially at the grassroots level.

The meeting, also held simultaneously across zones two and three of the state, included LGA vice chairmen, health secretaries, and nutrition focal persons to discuss and propose solutions to malnutrition.

The meeting with the LGA executives was a move towards addressing malnutrition, keying into the ‘Nutrition 774 (N-774)’ initiative designed to combat the malnutrition crisis and improve the nation’s nutrition indices across 774 LGAs of the country.

The N-774 initiative was inaugurated by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who presided over the 148th NEC meeting held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on February 20.

The initiative was the first-ever national government-led intervention to combat malnutrition, aimed at enhancing coordination, financing, and accountability.

At a two-day orientation meeting on Wednesday in Kaduna for zone one participants, Zainab Muhammad-Idris, lead facilitator for the zonal high-level engagement, explained that the programme aimed to sensitise and create awareness among local government officials.

Ms. Muhammad-Idris also serves as the project manager of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria project.

She explained that the initiative aimed to consolidate all nutrition programs under a single framework, including ANRiN 2.0, Project HOPE, and any other nutrition-related interventions.

According to her, local solutions are best found at the local government level, which needs to be at the forefront of improving nutritional well-being and preventing malnutrition.

Speaking further, the lead facilitator stated that statistics had shown that Kaduna state had made modest progress.

Despite the progress, Ms. Muhammad-Idris emphasised that much still needed to be done to address the challenges of malnutrition.

She, however, said the state was still struggling with moderate wasting and underweight issues, with some indices even showing deterioration. She, therefore, said that the N-774 would be a game changer that would help address the challenges.

According to Gerida Birukila, the chief of the field office in Kaduna, UNICEF works in harmony with the government to ensure that children’s rights, including the right to health, nutrition, education, water, hygiene, and health, are upheld.

Ms Birukila, represented by Chinwe Ezeife, a nutrition specialist at the UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, restated the organisation’s commitment to working with the Kaduna State Government at various levels to improve the health and nutritional status of women and children.

(NAN)