Nutrition: CS-SUNN Tasks CSOs, Implementing Partners On Women, Girls Empowerment

The Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has called on civil society groups and other implementing partners to advocate and implement activities that will promote women and girls‘ nutrition in the country.

The organisation emphasised that empowering women to have fair control over their income was crucial as evidence shows they are more likely to prioritise spending on nutritious foods, thereby improving access to adequate nutrition by the entire family.

Executive secretary of CS-SUNN, Sunday Okoronkwo, who made the call during a media roundtable on Promoting Women and Girls Nutrition, in Abuja, urged CSOs and implementing partners to hold the government accountable for best-practice recommendations and push for the domestication of policies that support healthy and sustainable diets for women and girls.

He also called on the government to support the development and implementation a national guideline on women‘s and girls‘ empowerment for optimal nutrition through the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Represented by the co-chairman, steering committee, CS-SUNN, Mrs Aji Robinson, Okoronkwo said urged the government on Increasing the number of women in decision-making positions as well as ensuring gender equity in the access and utilisation of public economic empowerment schemes.

He said „Recognising the importance of nutrition in nation building, the Women and Girls Nutrition project seeks to improve and sustain the access of these target groups to optimal nutrition by enhancing different empowerment strategies hence the project goal “Women and Girls Empowered for optimal nutrition by 2028.”

“Such strategies include increasing the participation of women in decision-making roles, expand their access to public empowerment schemes such as farming and business loans, scholarships, employment, and livelihood support and provide greater opportunities for girls to receive quality education from primary to tertiary levels,” he said.