Bukola Afeni
Stakeholders in the nutrition sector has called for urgency of domestic financing and budgets to ensure more funding for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) in the country.
The experts highlighted that pregnant women in Nigeria stand to benefit immensely from multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), yet stock out⁷ and funding gaps continue to undermine the life-saving interventions.
They made the disclosure at the Validation Workshop on the Formative Study to Establish Baseline for Anemia Funding Commitment through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) and Level of MMS Uptake program in Abuja.
Prof. Kola Anigo, a Lecturer at the University of Abuja, emphasized that MMS, which is backed by the World Health Organization guidelines, surpasses the traditional iron and folic acid supplements by delivering 15 essential micronutrients.
“The supplement aids in reducing low birth weight and anemia in mothers.
There is need for timely state-level procurement to prevent pregnant women from leaving health facilities empty handed.”
He noted that Nigeria’s MMS implementation roadmap phases out federal funding over time, leaving full accountability to states.
“About 20 states have shown progress with federal aid, but not all are aligned, risking donor dependency if funds dry up.
In the same vein, he added that health workers and nutritionists should be trained regularly on reduction of maternal mortality from anaemia.
The Steering Committee Chair Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) Sodangi Chindo disclosed that maternal health advocates are ramping up efforts to shift from iron-folic acid (IFA) to multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) in antenatal care in Nigeria.
He highlighted MMS’s superior benefits over IFA, which is targeting anemia prevention and better outcomes for women and children.
“We have noticed persistent stock challenges in some government health facilities. We are calling on government intervention to ensure steady supply and demonstrate real health impact in the country.
The steering committee chair also urged media practitioners to engage in more visibility drive that will promote intake of MMS especially at the community level.
“We will liase with the media to engage in sensitization drives to engage individuals and communities on the importance of MMS.
We will also ensure that the commodities is available at all times.
The Permanent Secretary Niger State Planning Commission, Aisha Oti Usman, called on state government to allocate resources and explore partnerships in terms of anemia reduction.
“The objective of the program is to establish baseline statistics on anemia in Nigeria. We are coming up with interventions to improve maternal and child health in the country.
“We know that Government and donor funding gaps exist, with most activities donor-driven, but we want to explore other opportunities of improving nutrition in the country”, she said.
In the same vein, she noted that exploring partnerships with individuals, nutrition-focused organizations, and some banks for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the nutrition sector will go a long way in improving the narrative and reduce malnutrition in the country.
