On Thursday, the United Nations Children Fund and the Kano State government affirmed their dedication to addressing anaemia in pregnancy within the state.
Praising Kano state Governor, Abba Yusuf, UNICEF acknowledged the immediate release of N500 million for the procurement of Ready To Use Therapeutic Foods to manage severe acute malnutrition among children under five years old.
As a part of this commitment, UNICEF pledged to contribute N500 million as a matching grant through the Child Nutritional Fund.
During the opening ceremony of a two-day stakeholders’ inception meeting on the scale-up of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements in Kano state, Oluniyi Oyedokun, the UNICEF Kano Field Office Nutrition Specialist, announced this development.
Oluniyi emphasized the importance of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) as a crucial intervention for reducing anaemia and improving pregnancy outcomes worldwide.
He urged policymakers to prioritize MMS procurement to safeguard the health of pregnant women and future generations.
Oluniyi encouraged stakeholders to adopt a holistic approach to preventing anaemia in pregnancy, focusing on social behavioral changes, creating an environment supportive of MMS acceptance, and defining the roles government and policymakers should play in preventing anaemia among pregnant women.
He also mentioned that the MMS scale-up project in Kano state is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with only five states in Nigeria, including Kano, benefiting from the initiative.
He praised the efforts of Dr. Imam Bello, Kano state Commissioner for Health, and the Director of Public Health in the Ministry, for their advocacy on nutrition and related health issues concerning women and children in the state.
Dr. Labaran Yusuf, the Commissioner for Health, represented by Shehu Shehu, the acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, expressed gratitude to UNICEF and partners for their timely intervention in primary healthcare for children and pregnant women in Kano state.
Highlighting the importance of effective planning, Dr. Yusuf emphasized the significance of proactive measures to combat anaemia and malnutrition in the state.
He confirmed the state’s commitment to investing N500 million in partnership with UNICEF for the procurement of Ready To Use Therapeutic Foods through the Child Nutrition Match Fund.
Dr. Muhammad Mahmood, Director-General of the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, represented by Dr. Ahmed Habib, Director of Family Health Services, expressed confidence that MMS intervention would contribute to reducing mortality rates among pregnant women.
He lauded UNICEF and other partners for their unwavering efforts in ensuring Kano state benefits significantly from the MMS initiative.
He expressed optimism that the meeting’s objectives, including sharing project details with state-level stakeholders and outlining roles and responsibilities, would be accomplished.
He also emphasized the importance of creating an enabling environment for leveraging government resources for MMS procurement and developing an effective work plan.
Dr.Imam Wada Bello, in his presentation titled “Nutrition Landscape Situation In Kano,” highlighted the high rate of severe acute malnutrition among pregnant women and children under five in the state.
He stressed the need for adequate nutrition for pregnant women to ensure healthy pregnancies and emphasized the significance of addressing anaemia to support exclusive breastfeeding.