In a major step towards combating malnutrition and improving public health outcomes, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Zamfara State Government, has officially launched the Zamfara State Policy on Food and Nutrition and commissioned a state-of-the-art Nutrition Supplies and Commodities Warehouse in the state capital, Gusau.
At a high-profile event attended by key stakeholders, the Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Sokoto, Mr. Michael Juma, described the policy’s launch as a landmark achievement in Zamfara’s ongoing efforts to enhance food security and address malnutrition in all its forms.
“This policy is a bold, visionary step by the Zamfara State Government to ensure that every individual, especially vulnerable children and women, has access to sufficient and nutritious food,” Juma said. He emphasized the importance of inter-ministerial collaboration to achieve the policy’s objectives and urged the state government to integrate nutrition planning into its budgetary framework.
Juma also called attention to the operational needs of the newly inaugurated warehouse, urging the government to guarantee stable electricity to maintain essential medicines and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for children suffering from acute malnutrition.
In her remarks, Mrs. Nemat Hajeebhoy, UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Child Nutrition and Development, applauded the initiative, while painting a stark picture of the malnutrition crisis in Zamfara.
“Currently, one in two children in Zamfara is stunted, and one in ten suffers from wasting,” Hajeebhoy stated, warning that by 2025, over 250,000 children under five could suffer from wasting without urgent intervention. She highlighted the estimated ₦19 billion worth of nutrition commodities needed to address the crisis and noted that UNICEF, with support from international partners, has already secured ₦6 billion worth of life-saving supplies for the state.
The event also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Zamfara State Government, Federal University Gusau (FUGUS), and UNICEF for the training of over 1,000 auxiliary social workers. These trained professionals will help address social issues such as child abuse, neglect, gender-based violence, and harmful practices, particularly in underserved rural communities.
Governor Dauda Lawal, in his address, reiterated his administration’s commitment to fighting malnutrition, highlighting the policy as a strategic framework for developing sustainable food and nutrition systems in Zamfara’s healthcare delivery.
“This is the first time in Zamfara’s history that we are taking deliberate steps to train and deploy certified auxiliary social workers to address critical social and nutritional issues in our communities,” the governor noted. He also pledged ₦500 million as counterpart funding for nutrition-related projects in 2024, assuring that funds earmarked for the previous year would be disbursed promptly.
Also present at the ceremony was Professor Mu’azu Gusau, Vice Chancellor of Federal University Gusau, who commended the initiative and reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to supporting Zamfara’s nutrition and social welfare programs.
