Tag: facing

  • Nigeria facing huge nutritional challenges – Official

    Nigeria facing huge nutritional challenges – Official

    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)

     

  • Over 20 poorest countries facing high-level debt crisis, food insecurity

    Over 20 poor countries are on the verge of suffering a high-level debt crisis and food insecurity, the Spanish president of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Alvaro…

  • 55 countries facing serious health worker shortages – WHO

    55 countries facing serious health worker shortages – WHO

    The World Health Organisation has said that no less than 55 countries are struggling with serious health worker shortages as they continue to seek better-paid opportunities in wealthier nations.

    They continue to seek better-paid opportunities in wealthier nations that have stepped up efforts to recruit them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    According to WHO, African nations have been worst hit by the phenomenon, with 37 countries on the continent facing health worker shortages.

    “Health workers shortage have threatened their chances of achieving universal health care by 2030 – a key Sustainable Development Goals pledge.’’

    The actions of wealthy countries that belong to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development come under scrutiny in the WHO alert, among other regions.

    “Within Africa, it’s a very vibrant economy that is creating new opportunities,” Dr Jim Campbell, the Director responsible for health worker policy at WHO, said in a statement on Tuesday.

    “The Gulf States have traditionally been reliant on international personnel and then some of the OECD high-income countries have really accelerated their recruitment and employment to respond to the pandemic and respond to the loss of lives, the infections, the absences of workers during the pandemic”.

    To help countries protect their vulnerable healthcare systems, WHO has issued an updated health workforce support and safeguards list, which highlights nations with low numbers of qualified healthcare staff.

    “These countries require priority support for health workforce development and health system strengthening, along with additional safeguards that limit active international recruitment,” the WHO insisted.

    Supporting the call for universal healthcare for all countries in line with the SDGs, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, called on all countries to respect the provisions in the WHO health workforce support and safeguards list.

    “Health workers are the backbone of every health system, and yet 55 countries with some of the world’s most fragile health systems, do not have enough and many are losing their health workers to international migration,” he added.

    Although many countries do respect existing WHO guidelines on the recruitment of health care workers, the principle is not accepted wholesale, WHO warned.

    “What we are seeing is that the majority of countries are respecting those provisions by not actively recruiting from these (vulnerable) countries,” Campbell said.

    “But there is also a private recruitment market that does exist and we’re looking to them to also reach some of the global standards that are anticipated in terms of their practice and behaviour.”

    Mechanisms also exist for governments or other individuals to notify WHO if they are “worried” about the behaviour of recruiters, the WHO official said.

    The WHO health workforce support and safeguard list does not prohibit international recruitment but recommends that governments involved in such programmes are informed about the impact on the health system in countries where they source qualified health professionals.

    NAN

  • EUROPA LEAGUE: See who is facing who in round of 16

    EUROPA LEAGUE: See who is facing who in round of 16

    Following the conclusion of the round of 32 in the Europa League, UEFA on Friday, February 24, 2023, conducted the round of 16 draws.

    Sporting Tribune presents the fixtures for the Europa League round of 16.

    Round of 16

    First Leg: March 9, 2023

    Union Berlin (Germany) vs. Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium)

    Sevilla (Spain) vs. Fenerbahçe (Turkey)

    Juventus (Italy) vs. Freiburg (Germany)

    Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) vs. Ferencváros (Hungary)

    Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs. Arsenal (England)

    Manchester United (England) vs. Real Betis (Spain)

    Roma (Italy) vs. Real Sociedad (Spain)

    Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs. Feyenoord (Netherlands)

    ALSO READ: Xavi says Barcelona ‘deserved more’ following Europa League exit

    ALSO READ: EUROPA LEAGUE: Irate fan punches Sevilla goalkeeper in 2-0 win over PSV

     

    Second Leg: March 16, 2023

    Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) vs. Union Berlin (Germany)

    Fenerbahçe (Turkey) vs. Sevilla (Spain)

    Freiburg (Germany) vs. Juventus (Italy)

    Ferencváros (Hungary) vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

    Arsenal (England) vs. Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)

    Real Betis (Spain) vs. Manchester United (England)

    Real Sociedad (Spain) vs. Roma (Italy)

    Feyenoord (Netherlands) vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)