Kaduna State Committee on Food, Nutrition set to Address malnutrition
From: Femi Mustapha
The Chairman of the Kaduna State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN), Bashir Muhammad (mni), has said Stakeholders and MDAs of the Committee are set to come up with innovative plans to tackle the menace of malnutrition and ensure the good people of Kaduna live a healthier life.
He stated this on Tuesday,22nd October 2024 during a two-day Quarterly Coordination and Review Meeting of the Committee held at the Conference Hall of the Planning and Budget Commission.
According to him, stakeholders and MDAs in the food and nutrition sectors were brought together to contribute their quota in improving the nutrition status of women and children by ensuring that they have access to the right information and interventions that will improve their well-being.
He added that the quarterly meeting is a crucial component of the ongoing effort to evaluate progress, address challenges, and harness opportunities that will help them achieve their goals.
The Chairman, who doubles as the Permanent Secretary of the Planning and Budget Commission, emphasized that during the stakeholders meeting, presentations were made on the status of the implementation of the measures for combating nutrition issues in the state.
He opined that evidence of malnutrition in the state included anemia, stunting, and wasting, among others.
The Chairman observed that the committee would look into the success stories of achieving the targets of reducing malnutrition in the state and discover the challenges facing the food and nutrition sectors.
He explained that the challenges might be funding, awareness of technical support, capacity development, and others.
On the 2025 budget, Muhammad said after the discussions, the Committee discovered that some key MDAs did not have a budget line for nutrition hence the committee is taking urgent steps via advocacy to relevant stakeholders to correct it
“We will make provisions for budget nutrition line for the MDAs in 2025, budget to address malnutrition.
“When you look at the nutrition space wholistically, you would find out that there are other agencies that need to be onboard so that the committee would know what they are doing hence we are bringing on board the livestock department as a stakeholder in the committee,” he said
Responding to this, the Kaduna State Coordinator of Civil Society – Scaling Up Nutrition ( CS-SUNN), Ms. Jessica Bartholomew, commended the Chairman for the idea of bringing more stakeholders on board; however, called for proper mapping in line with the policy of the Committee to identify who are the stakeholders needed in the committee.
The Committee in response gives the CS-SUNN Coordinator the assignment to do the mapping and be supported by the representative of Research For Development ( R4D)
In her presentation, The State Team Lead of Alive and Thrive, Sarah Didi Kwasu Said that Multiple Micronutrient supplementation (MMS) is key to reducing anemia among young and pregnant women.
According to her, the Multiple Micronutrient Supplement tablet contains 13- 15 Victims and Minerals that are needed by the pregnant woman and her baby.
Mrs Sarah Didi Kwasu added that Multiple micronutrient supplementations are designed to address multiple micronutrient deficiencies simultaneously, which are common in many populations, particularly in low and middle countries.
“The benefits of micronutrients especially in the reduction of maternal maternity. It prevents anemia and supports blood production. It also reduces the risk of neural tube defects in the developing fetus.
“Micronutrient supplementation is very important because it contains 13 to 15 vitamins that aid in prevention and improve maternal nutrients. It also helps women to meet their increased nutritional needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
“It also reduces birth complications and decreases the risk of preterm birth congenital abnormality. It supports the fetus’s development, that is, the unborn baby, and provides key nutrients that are important to the growth and development of the baby in the womb. Then it also addresses multiple deficiencies.
“Many women suffer from multiple micronutrient deficiencies and multiple Micronutrient supplements help in addressing this collectively rather than single nutrient supplementation.
“This shows that the MMS is far better than the single nutrient supplementation. MMS is often recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women because of the increase in nutritional demands. It serves as a promoter as per maternal health programs to increase pregnancy outcome and reduce maternal and child mobility and maternity,” She said.