By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

The Kaduna State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling malnutrition through stronger coordination and improved implementation of nutrition interventions across the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

The commitment was reiterated on Thursday in Zaria, during a two-day quarterly coordination and review meeting of the State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN) with nutrition focal persons from the 23 LGAs.

The meeting was organised by the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission (PBC), with support from UNICEF, to review first and second quarter activities and address implementation challenges.

Chairman of the SCFN, Mr Mukhtar Abdullahi, said the gathering demonstrated commitment to improving nutrition outcomes across the state.

Abdullahi, who doubles as the Permanent Secretary of the PBC, appreciated UNICEF and development partners for strengthening nutrition coordination and service delivery in Kaduna.

He commended nutrition focal persons for sustaining multisectoral collaboration and implementing interventions aimed at improving maternal, infant and young child nutrition.

According to him, the state is strengthening local government food and nutrition programmes through improved budget allocations and collaboration among relevant sectors.

He said the meeting would review progress, identify implementation gaps, share lessons and develop practical strategies to improve nutrition outcomes across the state.

He urged all stakeholders to sustain regular monitoring of nutrition programmes and ensure that approved interventions reached vulnerable women and children at the community level.

Abdullahi said stronger collaboration among ministries, departments, agencies and development partners remained essential for achieving the state’s nutrition targets and reducing malnutrition-related illnesses.

Earlier, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Nutrition, Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, Mr Jibril Isah, said Kaduna had sustained political commitment towards reducing malnutrition through coordinated implementation of the Multi-Sectoral Food and Nutrition Plan.

Isah said the review would assess nutrition activities implemented during the quarter, identify challenges and agree on workable strategies to improve performance across all 23 LGAs.

He said undernutrition remained a major contributor to child mortality, accounting for over 55 per cent of diarrhoea deaths, 57 per cent of malaria deaths and 45 per cent of pneumonia deaths.

According to him, Vitamin ‘A’ supplementation can reduce under-five mortality by up to 34 per cent while protecting children against measles, malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia.

He added that routine deworming, nutrition screening and promotion of exclusive and complementary breastfeeding remained critical interventions for improving child survival.

Isah disclosed that Kaduna recorded 82 per cent Vitamin ‘A’ supplementation coverage among children aged six to 59 months during the June 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week.

He said the state also achieved 81 per cent Vitamin ‘A’ coverage among children aged six to 11 months and 83 per cent among children aged 12 to 59 months.

He added that Mid-Upper Arm Circumference screening reached 79 per cent statewide, while deworming coverage stood at 36 per cent during the exercise.

Isah said PENTA3 immunisation coverage stood at 51 per cent, while Sulphadoxime-Pyrimethamine uptake among pregnant women reached 39 per cent statewide.

He added that the performance review would help identify poorly performing areas and guide targeted interventions to improve nutrition and maternal health services.

He explained that the review also covered infant and young child feeding, maternal nutrition, nutrition commodity availability, routine growth monitoring and community mobilisation activities across the LGAs.

Isah urged nutrition focal persons to improve data quality, timely reporting and supportive supervision to enhance evidence-based planning and accelerate progress towards reducing malnutrition.

The Acting Director, Development Aid Coordination Department, Kaduna PBC, Mrs Priscilla Dariya, urged participants to develop practical recommendations that would strengthen nutrition coordination statewide.

Dariya stressed the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, development partners and implementing organisations to ensure effective delivery of nutrition interventions.

She said recommendations from the meeting would support evidence-based planning, improve accountability and strengthen the implementation of nutrition programmes across Kaduna State.

The Director, Nutrition, Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, Mrs Ramatu Haruna, stressed the need for quality data, effective implementation and sustained commitment by nutrition focal persons.

Haruna, was represented by Mr Christopher Moses, the Deputy Programme Officer on Micro Nutrients Deficiency Control Unit, Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board.

She urged nutrition officers to intensify supportive supervision and ensure that routine nutrition services remained available at all primary healthcare facilities across the state.

Haruna also called for improved collaboration with community volunteers and health workers to enhance early detection and management of malnutrition among children and pregnant women.

In a goodwill message, the Coordinator, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria Project (ANRiN 2.0) in Kaduna, Dr Zainab Muhammad-Idris, urged participants to openly discuss implementation challenges.

Muhammad-Idris, represented by Musa Abubakar, the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist ANRiN 2.0, said the meeting should produce a reliable document that would guide government, development partners and non-governmental organisations in implementing feasible nutrition interventions.

She said ANRiN 2.0 would continue supporting Kaduna State to improve access to essential nutrition services, particularly for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five.

Muhammad-Idris urged stakeholders to prioritise practical solutions capable of improving service delivery and ensuring that nutrition interventions reached the most vulnerable communities.

Also, the Coordinator of Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in Kaduna, Mrs Celestina Ayim, represented by Funmilayo Adeoye, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting government efforts to improve nutrition outcomes across the state.

Ayim said CS-SUNN would continue advocating increased domestic funding for nutrition and promoting community participation to strengthen nutrition programmes across Kaduna.

She urged stakeholders to sustain partnerships and collective action towards eliminating malnutrition and ensuring healthier futures for women, children and vulnerable populations in the state. (NAN)