Kwara Govt commits 100,000 USD to eradicate malnutrition

The Kwara State Government has entered an agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the Nutrition Marching Fund through the payment of 100,000 USD as a counterpart fund in its commitment to expunge malnutrition in the State.

Addressing the gathering at the Ministry’s conference room, Mallam Lafia Aliyu Kora Sabi, t, stated that the government entered the bilateral agreement with UNICEF to prevent the malnutrition menace.

Hon. Lafia lauded Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and said that he is very committed to improving the livelihood of the vulnerable people in the State,

“The Nutrition Marching Fund is geared towards rewriting the ugly story of stunted children who are incapable of contributing meaningfully to the socio-economic development of the State,” he added.

The Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development thanked UNICEF for its continuous support to the State, most notably on children’s welfare.

He assured that “malnutrition indices will significantly dwindle as efforts are in top gear to implement the nutrition intervention programmes in the State.”

Also, Dr Umar Yakub Jaja, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, thanked UNICEF for its constant support of children’s interventions while appreciating other Development Partners like Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) for supporting the State Government over the years.

Mrs Christian Munduate, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative, lauded the Kwara State Government for demonstrating the political will to erase the malnutrition menace in the State by paying the UNICEF Counterpart Fund.

Munduate noted that the State’s commitment to the Nutrition Marching Fund will accelerate the fight against malnutrition through the availability of funds, adding that malnutrition has greatly impaired the physical and mental growth of many children, which has, in turn, made them incapable of contributing positively to the economic development of the State.

Recall that the previous government didn’t pay the counterpart funds for years, which made many development agencies, including UNICEF, quit their activities in Kwara State. When Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq came on board in 2019, he counted the losses of the State since these agencies left and decided to call them back for the development work to continue.

The recent Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the Nutrition Marching Fund signed by the Abdulrazaq-led administration has not only changed the latter’s perspective about Kwara State leadership, it has also promised to build its office in the State and provide every necessary support.