The Niger Government has urged the state’s 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to take the lead in grassroots nutrition interventions to improve maternal and child health.
The call was made during a sensitization and orientation meeting on the N-25 Initiative, organized by the Niger State Planning Commission (NSPC) in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in Minna.
The initiative, which aligns with the broader N-774 national framework, seeks to translate national nutrition priorities into coordinated and sustainable interventions across the state’s 25 LGAs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting brought together LGA chairmen, Directors of Personnel Management (DPM), health officials and other key stakeholders.
Speaking at the meeting, the Executive Director of the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency (NSPHCDA) said nutrition services, ranging from the prevention to treatment of malnutrition, were central to effective primary healthcare delivery.
He said addressing malnutrition required a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach involving the health, agriculture, education and other relevant sectors.
Hajiya A’isha Usman, Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Planning Commission, described the initiative as an urgent call to action.
She urged local government authorities to ensure that women, children and households had access to adequate and quality nutrition services.
Usman specifically challenged the 25 LGA chairmen to demonstrate political commitment by supporting nutrition focal persons and strengthening grassroots structures responsible for implementing nutrition interventions.
Also speaking, Aisha Kallamu, UNICEF Nutrition State Facilitator, reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting grassroots mobilization and strengthening a multi-sectoral framework for effective nutrition service delivery across the state.
The orientation identified four key pillars for successful implementation of the initiative: clear operational goals, effective translation of strategies into budgets and service delivery plans, data-driven accountability through regular scorecards, and continuous monitoring and review meetings.
The N-25 Initiative is expected to strengthen political ownership, build institutional capacity and promote collaboration among relevant sectors, with particular focus on improving nutrition outcomes for pregnant women, mothers and children under five during the critical first 1,000 days of life.
Through the initiative, the Niger Government and UNICEF aim to position local governments as key drivers of sustainable nutrition interventions and improved community health outcomes.
source: NAN
