Bukola Afeni
The Federal Government has expressed commitment to effectively reduce different forms of hunger and malnutrition in the country.
The Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo stated this while giving a keynote address at the opening of the 17th ECOWAS Nutrition Forum in Abuja.
He said the Federal Government of Nigeria has given the highest political will to nutrition programs and interventions through the National Council on Nutrition Chaired by the Vice President with the support of the development partners.
” We are also working with the private sectors among others to ensure increased sustainable investment in the nutrition of the populace. We are strategic and prioritizing actions that will reduce malnutrition”, he said.
The Vice President who was represented by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said it is essential to provide sustainable nutritious diets to people in the Sub-Saharan region.
“West Africa has an increasing growing population, it is projected that by 2050, the region will have 650 million people. Almost 400 million will be young people, and the need become imperative to provide adequate food, quality basic education, and health care.
” Inadequate nourishment of the population will translate to suboptimal learning outcomes and disadvantaged livelihood, especially in the global fiercely competitive knowledge economy”, he said.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, noted that ensuring access to nutritious and safe diets should be a priority in every country across the continent.
He further added that the burden of food and nutrition insecurity has resulted in a high rate of malnutrition in West Africa.
“The political will and commitment to drive change must be clearly defined and sustained to ensure nutrition is prioritized as a key driver of development in the West Africa region”, he said.
Ehanire further disclosed that Nigeria as a country has shown a very high political will to nutrition issues.
” The National Council on Nutrition which is chaired by the Vice President has led to the approval of the National Multisectoral Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition by the Federal Executive Council. We also have the approval of the creation of a nutrition department and creation of budget lines for line ministries, departments and agencies for sustainable funding of nutrition programs”, he noted.
The Director General of WAHO, Dr Melchior Athanase Joel Codjovi Aissi, urged West African countries to take ownership of their nutrition and food investment, in terms of equity and justice.
” We must bring efficient financing mechanism for nutrition. We will examine collaborative practices, and bring sustainable impact to nutrition intervention.
“Public-private partnership is important for improving nutrition outcomes. We need to promote synergy and effective sharing of experiences at all levels to get meaningful results”, he added.
The Deputy Country Representative of UNICEF, Abubakar Taire, emphasized the need to accelerate nutrition to ensure that the goal of SDG by 2030 is achieved.
” We need to leverage multifactorial financing for safe, affordable and sustainable nutrition that will bring about economic development”, he said.
