UNICEF seeks N1.2bn as Katsina commits N500m to nutrition

UNICEF seeks N1.2bn as Katsina commits N500m to nutrition

The Katsina State Government has approved N500m as counterpart funding for the Child Nutrition Fund, as the United Nations Children’s Fund called for an additional N1.2bn investment to tackle malnutrition and strengthen health interventions for women and children in the state.

Governor Dikko Radda disclosed this when the new Chief of the UNICEF Kano Field Office, Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Government House in Katsina.

Radda noted that the state’s sustained partnership with UNICEF had yielded measurable results, particularly in combating severe acute malnutrition through the establishment of stabilisation centres and outpatient treatment sites.

“We have been working closely with UNICEF over the years, and we are encouraged by the results we are seeing. We are not doing it for you; we are doing it for our people,” Radda said.

The governor pledged to accommodate UNICEF’s request for an additional N1.2bn in the state’s 2027 budget despite resource constraints, highlighting recent state initiatives, including the recruitment of over 9,000 teachers and capacity development programmes.

On his part, Ur-Rehman explained that the requested N1.2bn under the Child Nutrition Fund would be matched by UNICEF to procure Multiple Micronutrient Supplements for pregnant women and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food for children suffering from severe wasting.

He commended Katsina for consistently contributing to the fund, noting that the state is participating in a global pilot of revised World Health Organisation guidelines for preventing and managing severe wasting in children.

“Katsina’s participation in this pilot is important because the lessons from here will not only contribute to nutrition programming in Nigeria but will also provide useful evidence for the global response to child malnutrition,” Ur-Rehman stated.

Beyond nutrition, UNICEF commended Katsina State for progress in healthcare, sanitation, education, and child protection, noting that full routine immunisation coverage had more than doubled and birth registration coverage had risen to 68 per cent.

Ur-Rehman also praised Katsina for becoming the first state in Nigeria to appropriate N270m for the implementation of a SMART Nutrition Survey.