The Federal Ministry of Health says the country is facing a serious nutritional challenge in the area of under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiency and over-nutrition, which is causing overweight and obesity.
Director and Head, Nutrition of the ministry, Dr. Binyerem Ukaire, made this known on Wednesday at the 17th ECOWAS Nutrition Forum in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the three-day forum is themed: “Leveraging Sustainable Financing for Multi-sectoral Approaches: Accelerate Universal Access to Nutritious, Safe, Affordable and Sustainable Diets”.
NAN also reports that the 2021 Global Nutrition Report revealed that diets are not getting healthier and have been associated with unacceptable high levels of malnutrition affecting every country in the world, including those in the ECOWAS region.
The report noted that scaling up of nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions, optimised use of resources for impact and solidarity between governments and partners to mobilise additional resources for nutrition will ensure the attainment of global targets for nutrition in the ECOWAS region.
Speaking at the forum, Dr. Ukaire, said that the federal government’s strategic response to address Nigeria’s nutrition challenges included the creation of an enabling policy environment for the National Food and Nutrition Policy.
He said the government’s response could also be boosted by developing Nigeria’s Global Action Plan on waste reduction.
Also, Head of Nutrition, Social Development Department, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Chito Nelson, said that the country would improve the nutrition indices through optimal nutritional status for all Nigerians, particularly women, children, and internally displaced people.
According to the Regional Nutrition Advisor, United Nations Children’s Fund, Dr. Simeon Nanama, stunting is a big challenge in the ECOWAS region.
He said that the region must reduce the stunting rate to 4.2 per cent to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 by 2030.
He said: “As of last year, we have about 12 per cent waste in Niger Republic. We can use available data to understand how to address the issues.
Meanwhile, the Regional Adviser, Nutrition and Food Safety, World Health Organisation, Dr. Laetitia Ouedraogo-Nikiema, said that the region needs to protect and promote diets, services and practices that support optimal nutrition, growth and development for all children, adolescents and women.
She said that the current food system did not enable the region to provide food for children.
“Policies and Actions to Promote Safe and Healthy Diets in ECOWAS Region. Today, our food systems are key drivers of malnutrition and widening health insecurity. Action on food systems can truly tackle the root causes of malnutrition,” she added.
According to the EU-Joint Research Centre Scientific Officer, Ms. Roos Verstraeten, malnutrition is multi-causal, and any adequate response must be a coordinated multi-sectoral approach that must include mainstreaming nutrition across diverse policy areas.
She said achieving global nutrition agenda necessitates a comprehensive and coherent set of actions, programmes and policies that address underlying and immediate causes of malnutrition.
On his part, Nutrition Lead, West Africa Health Organisation, Dr. Namoudou Keita, said that the region is discussing intersectionality to eradicate malnutrition.
“We will develop a clear Abuja call to action from this meeting that will assist us in developing the health sector to achieve SDG2,” he said.
According to Keita, the 17 ECOWAS Nutrition Forum aims to address the region’s key nutrition challenges by accelerating the eradication of hunger, increasing political commitment and investment in food security and better coordination of nutrition interventions at all levels.
NAN recalled that WAHO is consolidating its efforts to accelerate the achievement of regional nutrition indices through the 17th ECOWAS Nutrition Forum, which is being hosted for the first time by the federal government in Abuja, from April 19 to 21, 2023.
The meeting is being organized by WAHO with the Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria, in collaboration with a coalition of technical and financial partners, and is expected to be opened by Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, alongside a host of regional nutrition champions.
NAN reports that the ECOWAS Nutrition Forum is a regional platform that brings together key nutrition stakeholders biennially, to discuss nutrition policies and practices, progress in reducing malnutrition and diet-related diseases and innovative practices in the region.
About 250 nutrition experts from across the region are participating in the meeting.
The main objective of the meeting is to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration to improve financing and Universal Health Coverage for nutrition.
According to the organisers, the forum will be an opportunity to examine innovative multi-sectoral collaboration practices that work best in terms of the synergy of action and sustainable financing of nutrition interventions.
(NAN)
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