Alaro City, through its partnership with Lagos State and the Office of Civic Engagement, has further reinforced its commitment to its host community by providing nutritional packages and other resources needed by pregnant women in Epe Local Government. This was done under the auspice of the Mother, Infant and Child Initiative (MICHD).
Founded by the Office of Civic Engagement and Lagos State, MICHD is an engine for the empowerment of 5,000 pregnant women in the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state. The initiative is a key component of the Womb to School Programme, a social investment basket initiated by the government of His Excellency, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to facilitate the development of human capital, as well as raise socially responsible citizens from the womb through infancy, childhood, and adulthood.
“MICHD is a nutritional support program that provides weekly nutritional food packs and supplements to indigent pregnant women across the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the State. This is intended to aid the proper brain development of the fetus whilst serving as a preventative security tool for raising civically responsible citizens,” said the Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale.
Addressing the cognitive and learning disabilities that may occur in newborns if they are not properly nourished, one of the aims of the programme is also to ensure that there is a comprehensive nutrition plan, linked to the fact that women have distinct nutritional needs, especially before and during pregnancy and while breastfeeding when their vulnerability is highest.
“The nutritional food packs contain the recommended daily dietary pack composition of protein, carbohydrate, lactose, milk, fat, fiber, vitamins A, C, D3, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, calcium, and folic acid,” said Dr. Eniola Erinosho, a Medical Practitioner/MICHD Program Consultant.
Alaro City has been a partner of the programme since its inception, notably within its host community, Ibeju-Lekki-Epe. This is in line with Alaro City’s Corporate Social Responsibility pillars of healthcare, education, conservation, and community.
“Alaro City is committed to supporting its host communities in diverse ways to ensure and enhance the quality of life for its most vulnerable members; mothers and children. This continues to inform our support of the MICHD initiative,” said Yomi Amoussa, Head of Marketing, Alaro City.
Alaro City is planned as a 2,000-hectare mixed-income, city-scale development with homes, offices, schools, healthcare facilities, hotels, entertainment and 150 hectares (370 acres) of parks and open spaces. With more than 3.5 km of initial road networks and an eight-lane main boulevard with designated cycling lanes under construction, the new city provides world-class power, water and sewerage infrastructure.
Alaro City’s benefits include zero corporate income tax on free zone income, zero withholding tax on dividends, zero VAT, no customs duties on imports as well as exemptions from FX controls. The new city is close to the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the planned Lekki international airport, both of which will be critical drivers of growth in the Lekki Free Zone and Nigeria. The city is currently home to more than 50 companies, including Starium, a subsidiary of BUA Group, Mantrac (CAT) and Ariel Foods FZE, the largest Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) production facility in Africa, with an annual capacity of 18,000 metric tonnes.
