By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in partnership with Nutrition International, has successfully trained over 40 Nutrition Programme Officers in Jigawa State.
The capacity building which is on the logistics of nutrition commodities and their integration into the Nigerian Health Logistics Management Information System (NHMIS).
Held at Tashir Gust Palace in Dutse, the two-day training aimed to address the pressing issue of malnutrition in Nigeria, where approximately 2.5 million children are reported to suffer from severe malnutrition annually.
The desk officer for Nutrition Commodities and Logistics Management, Mr. Samari Godwin Bawa, emphasized the need for effective data management to guide interventions at all levels of government.
Bawa highlighted that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of malnutrition globally, second only to India.
He underscored the importance of onboarding nutrition programs into the NHMIS to enhance visibility and accountability in managing nutrition commodities alongside other public health programs.
A senior programme officer at Nutrition International, Mrs. Ayodele Gbemileke, praised the collaboration between federal and state governments, asserting that it would help reduce stockouts of nutrition supplies.
She urged participants to apply their training and share their knowledge with colleagues to better combat child malnutrition.
Additionally, Malam Muhammad Abdullahi, a Jigawa state nutrition officer, announced that the state government, in collaboration with UNICEF, has invested N500 million in Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to support treatment centers across the state.