The Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has called on the government at all levels, the public and private sectors, to intensify efforts to promote breastfeeding and maintain supportive environments that enable lactating mothers to breastfeed effectively.
This was as a result of a statewide advocacy to various MDAs led by the team from the CS-SUNN headquarters, Planning and Budget Commission (PBC) and supported by the Kaduna State CS-SUNN alliance.
The team, led by Aishatu Mohammed, director of Development Aid Coordination at PBC, explained that having creches at workplaces will enable nursing mothers to deliver their work effectively and efficiently.
Hajia Mohammed stressed the need for the MDAs to have a budget line for nutrition activities.
The former chairman of the CS-SUNN steering committee, Ifedilichukwu Ekene Innocent, emphasised funding and the timely release of funds for nutrition activities.
He also emphasised the need for the creation of creches for lactating mothers at workplaces.
He advocated for the release of matching funds by the State Government to enable access to the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) in the fight against malnutrition.
In their responses, the Commissioner of Finance, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sadiq Mamman Lagos, and the Commissioner of Planning and Budget Commission, Hon. Ahmed Mukhtar Morovia, jointly agreed to create a conducive atmosphere for lactating mothers to breastfeed their babies properly.
They acknowledged that malnutrition is a critical public health concern in Nigeria, as investing in nutrition significantly enhances positive outcomes for maternal and child health, cognitive function and educability, human capital, economic growth, and poverty reduction.
They also promised to ensure that nutrition budget lines are created for relevant MDAs and Agencies.
The Nutrition Specialist, Kaduna Field Office, UNICEF, Chinwe Ezeife, reiterated UNICEF’s commitment to supporting nutrition and child welfare programmes in Kaduna State, emphasising the importance of sustainable domestic financing in achieving long-term development goals.
Ezeife highlighted the critical role that nutrition and general well-being play in shaping a child’s life, especially within the first 1,000 days.
She noted that sustainable investments in nutrition are not just vital for individual health, but for the broader socioeconomic development of communities.
“Nutrition programmes are essential to saving lives and paving the way for healthier futures. Unfortunately, these programmes remain underfunded”.
As part of their advocacy, the team were also at the Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency (KADA), State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA), Kaduna State Social Investment Programme Agency, Kaduna State Media Corporation(KSMC), Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Kaduna State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA).
