Lara Adejoro The World Bank, Nutrition International, and other stakeholders on Tuesday called for a multi-pronged approach to address the growing malnutrition crisis in Nigeria. They stressed that all hands must be on deck to implement interventions to combat malnutrition. The call was made at a three-day collaborative meeting between the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and state nutrition managers in Abuja.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, Nigeria ranks first on the continent and second in the world, after India, in terms of the number of malnourished children. Speaking at the event, Senior Health Specialist at the World Bank, Dr Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, stressed the need for a multi-faceted approach and interventions to tackle malnutrition in Nigeria. Tilley-Gyado, who is also the Task Team Lead for Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria, was represented by Dr Godwin Gana, Senior Technical Adviser for the World Bank ANRiN project.
She revealed that the World Bank had supported the nutrition department of the FMoHSW in reviewing the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund facilities recently assessed by the NPHCDA. “This is in light of the current food and nutrition security crisis ravaging Nigeria and the need for the country to swiftly implement interventions to reverse the trend. “The guidance is intended to help states prioritise the selection of appropriate facilities with the right manpowe.
