Sokoto Gets N200m UNICEF-supported Nutrition Commodities

The Sokoto State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Sokoto Field Office, has handed over nutrition commodities to the state government.

The event, supported through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), aims to strengthen efforts to combat malnutrition and improve child health outcomes across the state.

With the development, the state government and the UNICEF have strengthened their partnership on child health with a combined N200 million intervention targeting severe malnutrition, even as officials issued a stern warning against diversion of life-saving supplies.

At a formal handover of the commodities in Sokoto on Sunday, UNICEF’s deputy country representative, Dr Rownak Khan, commended the state for committing N100 million to the Child Nutrition Fund—an amount matched by UNICEF under its co-financing model.

“Not all states have allocated funds for this matching grant. Sokoto has shown leadership and commitment to improving the survival, growth and development of its most vulnerable children,” she said.

Khan cited alarming figures, noting that more than 260,000 children in the state suffer from severe acute malnutrition, while many others remain unvaccinated. She stressed the need for a holistic approach to child health, combining nutrition, immunisation and maternal care.

Also, UNICEF Sokoto Field Office head, Michael Juma, said the intervention would expand access to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and other critical supplies.

He urged stakeholders to prioritise preventive nutrition and dietary diversity, warning that rising malnutrition rates could undermine educational outcomes if left unchecked.

In his remarks, the state commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Faruk, described the initiative as a clear reflection of Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s commitment to tackling hunger and child mortality.

He disclosed that recent surveys indicate up to 85 per cent of children in the state are affected by malnutrition, with 73 per cent of households facing related challenges. Faruk warned that the era of unchecked handling of nutrition supplies was over.