Fourteen point eight per cent of children in Enugu State, South-East Nigeria, are stunted and wasted, figures published by the National Demography and Health Survey (NDHS) 2018, showed.
According to the report, investment is needed, which would save 159,000 lives, and avert twenty-four thousand cases of wasted children in Enugu.
This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day capacity building meeting organised for members of the Enugu State Committee for Food and Nutrition (SCFN) and Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in collaboration with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday.
The meeting was equally used to develop Enugu State 2024 Nutrition Annual Operational Plan (AOP).
Stakeholders at the end of the meeting rose with an appeal to the Enugu State Government to ensure timely release and utilisation of funds to improve nutritional status of children in the state to reduce malnutrition.
According to them, there is the need for timely release and utilisation of budgetary allocations for food and nutrition activities in the 2024 financial year for the growth and development of children in Enugu State.
They emphasised the need for improved collaboration and partnership among relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) dealing with food and nutrition in the state.
The full communique below:
PREAMBLE:
Enugu State children are amongst the millions of Nigerian children experiencing malnutrition in its many diverse forms. Going by the available data on malnutrition, this calls for urgent interventions. In Enugu State, National Demography and Health Survey (NDHS) 2018 reveals that 14.8% of children under-five are stunted (too short for age), 6.1% are underweight, and 2.5% are wasted (too thin for height). This statistics translates to over 159,000 stunted children and over 24,000 wasted children in Enugu state.
Over the years, there has been recurrent low funding of nutrition activities, and this has negatively impacted the efforts for implementing food and nutrition interventions in the state. There is an urgent need to intervene by prioritising food and nutrition-focused activities in the Development Agenda of the state government. Developing an Annual Operational Plan (AOP) becomes key to starting the process of budgeting, release and utilisation of funds to improve on the nutritional status of children in the State.
To this end, a two-day capacity building meeting was organised for members of the Enugu State Committee for Food and Nutrition (SCFN). The meeting was organised by Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in collaboration with UNICEF.
The key objectives were:
1. To build the capacity of SCFN members on the Digitised Performance Management System.
2. To develop the Enugu State 2024 Nutrition Annual Operational Plan (AOP).
ISSUES RAISED.
The meeting noted that there is:
Inadequate funding for nutrition activities.
Inadequate release of approved budgetary provisions for nutrition interventions.
Poor Synergy and collaboration among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) implementing food and nutrition related activities.
The need to improve knowledge of nutrition issues among policymakers.
The need to build the capacity of SCFN members and Nutrition desk officers of line MDAs on memo drafting and proposal development.
Inadequate manpower in terms of trained and qualified nutritionist.
Weak monitoring and evaluation system.
Lack of political will for the implementation of nutrition intervention programmes.
The State only implements four months Maternity leave with pay.
State funding of nutritional programmes is grossly inadequate.
Nonexistence of nutrition work plan in most line MDAs implementing Food and nutrition programmes.
Low level of advocacy.
Inadequate identification of Windows for resource mobilisation and funding
Inadequate data on food and nutrition indicators.
The Enugu State Multi-sectoral Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition is yet to be signed by the executive for full operationalization.
Lack of nutrition funding at the local government level.
Establishment of Local Government Committee of Food and Nutrition is yet to be established at the LGAs
RESOLUTIONS:
The participants agreed that there is great need to:
Ensure timely release and utilisation of budgetary allocations for food and nutrition activities in the 2024 financial year.
Improve collaboration and partnership among relevant MDAs.
Sustain sensitisation of policy makers on food and nutrition issues.
RECRUIT OF MORE NUTRITIONIST.
Capacity building for SCFN member on memo drafting and proposal development.
Strengthen monitoring and evaluation of programme implementation.
Advocate for improved government commitments and ownership of food and nutrition programmes.
Approve budget lines in relevant MDAs.
Step up advocacy to high level policymakers to review and extend maternity leave with pay up to six months.
Scale up funding for nutrition to meet up with UNICEF standard of USD 3 million by 2024.
Strengthen the capacity of State ministry of budget and planning in effective coordination in line with the state Multi-sectoral Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition.
Develop Annual Work Plan for each MDA.
Carry out mapping of stakeholders for increased advocacy.
Identify and explore windows for resource mobilisation and funding.
Carry out budget tracking to ensure proper utilisation of funds released.
Ensure availability of timely and quality data.
Establish monitoring and evaluation mechanism for food and nutrition activities.
Strategic advocacy to the LGAs executive chairmen and legislative leadership for nutrition financing at the grassroots levels.
Establish Local Government Committee for Food and Nutrition
SIGNED:
Mr Chukwuemeka Neboh--- Chairman Communique Drafting Committee
Mrs Onwuzulike Loveth--- Secretary Communique Drafting Committee
Mr Agwuna Linus ---Member Communique Drafting Committee.
Finian Ali
State Coordinator, Civil Society– Scaling Up Nutrition In Nigeria (CS-SUNN)
Afriquecast
Fourteen point eight per cent of children in Enugu State, South-East Nigeria, are stunted and wasted, figures published by the National Demography and Health Survey (NDHS) 2018, showed.
According to the report, investment is needed, which would save 159,000 lives, and avert twenty-four thousand cases of wasted children in Enugu.
This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day capacity building meeting organised for members of the Enugu State Committee for Food and Nutrition (SCFN) and Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in collaboration with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday.
The meeting was equally used to develop Enugu State 2024 Nutrition Annual Operational Plan (AOP).
Stakeholders at the end of the meeting rose with an appeal to the Enugu State Government to ensure timely release and utilisation of funds to improve nutritional status of children in the state to reduce malnutrition.
According to them, there is the need for timely release and utilisation of budgetary allocations for food and nutrition activities in the 2024 financial year for the growth and development of children in Enugu State.
They emphasised the need for improved collaboration and partnership among relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) dealing with food and nutrition in the state.
The full communique below:
PREAMBLE:
Enugu State children are amongst the millions of Nigerian children experiencing malnutrition in its many diverse forms. Going by the available data on malnutrition, this calls for urgent interventions. In Enugu State, National Demography and Health Survey (NDHS) 2018 reveals that 14.8% of children under-five are stunted (too short for age), 6.1% are underweight, and 2.5% are wasted (too thin for height). This statistics translates to over 159,000 stunted children and over 24,000 wasted children in Enugu state.
Over the years, there has been recurrent low funding of nutrition activities, and this has negatively impacted the efforts for implementing food and nutrition interventions in the state. There is an urgent need to intervene by prioritising food and nutrition-focused activities in the Development Agenda of the state government. Developing an Annual Operational Plan (AOP) becomes key to starting the process of budgeting, release and utilisation of funds to improve on the nutritional status of children in the State.
To this end, a two-day capacity building meeting was organised for members of the Enugu State Committee for Food and Nutrition (SCFN). The meeting was organised by Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in collaboration with UNICEF.
The key objectives were:
1. To build the capacity of SCFN members on the Digitised Performance Management System.
2. To develop the Enugu State 2024 Nutrition Annual Operational Plan (AOP).
ISSUES RAISED.
The meeting noted that there is:
Inadequate funding for nutrition activities.
Inadequate release of approved budgetary provisions for nutrition interventions.
Poor Synergy and collaboration among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) implementing food and nutrition related activities.
The need to improve knowledge of nutrition issues among policymakers.
The need to build the capacity of SCFN members and Nutrition desk officers of line MDAs on memo drafting and proposal development.
Inadequate manpower in terms of trained and qualified nutritionist.
Weak monitoring and evaluation system.
Lack of political will for the implementation of nutrition intervention programmes.
The State only implements four months Maternity leave with pay.
State funding of nutritional programmes is grossly inadequate.
Nonexistence of nutrition work plan in most line MDAs implementing Food and nutrition programmes.
Low level of advocacy.
Inadequate identification of Windows for resource mobilisation and funding
Inadequate data on food and nutrition indicators.
The Enugu State Multi-sectoral Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition is yet to be signed by the executive for full operationalization.
Lack of nutrition funding at the local government level.
Establishment of Local Government Committee of Food and Nutrition is yet to be established at the LGAs
RESOLUTIONS:
The participants agreed that there is great need to:
Ensure timely release and utilisation of budgetary allocations for food and nutrition activities in the 2024 financial year.
Improve collaboration and partnership among relevant MDAs.
Sustain sensitisation of policy makers on food and nutrition issues.
RECRUIT OF MORE NUTRITIONIST.
Capacity building for SCFN member on memo drafting and proposal development.
Strengthen monitoring and evaluation of programme implementation.
Advocate for improved government commitments and ownership of food and nutrition programmes.
Approve budget lines in relevant MDAs.
Step up advocacy to high level policymakers to review and extend maternity leave with pay up to six months.
Scale up funding for nutrition to meet up with UNICEF standard of USD 3 million by 2024.
Strengthen the capacity of State ministry of budget and planning in effective coordination in line with the state Multi-sectoral Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition.
Develop Annual Work Plan for each MDA.
Carry out mapping of stakeholders for increased advocacy.
Identify and explore windows for resource mobilisation and funding.
Carry out budget tracking to ensure proper utilisation of funds released.
Ensure availability of timely and quality data.
Establish monitoring and evaluation mechanism for food and nutrition activities.
Strategic advocacy to the LGAs executive chairmen and legislative leadership for nutrition financing at the grassroots levels.
Establish Local Government Committee for Food and Nutrition
SIGNED:
Mr Chukwuemeka Neboh--- Chairman Communique Drafting Committee
Mrs Onwuzulike Loveth--- Secretary Communique Drafting Committee
Mr Agwuna Linus ---Member Communique Drafting Committee.
Finian Ali
State Coordinator, Civil Society– Scaling Up Nutrition In Nigeria (CS-SUNN)
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