Malnutrition: UNICEF hands over life-saving nutrition items to Enugu government

…Ranks Nigeria as country with highest number of malnourished children in Africa

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has handed over life-saving nutrition supplies, including Small Quantity Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), to the government and people of Enugu State as part of efforts to improve the health and well-being of children and women.

Wafaa Saeed, UNICEF Country Representative, represented by Nemat Hajeebhoy, chief of Nutrition Section, while speaking during the handover on Tuesday in Enugu, of the items, valued at about N320 million, said they were provided under the Child Nutrition Match-Fund (CNF) Project.

She explained that the initiative was an innovative co-financing mechanism aimed at strengthening nutrition interventions.

According to her, the Enugu State Government contributed N160 million, which was matched by UNICEF, enabling the procurement of 2,803 cartons of SQ-LNS, 843 cartons of RUTF, and multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for pregnant women.

Saeed commended the state governor, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for his leadership and commitment, noting that Enugu is among the first states to adopt and invest in such preventive nutrition strategies.

Despite the progress, she expressed concern over the rising rate of malnutrition, describing it as a major public health challenge. She noted that Nigeria has the highest number of malnourished children in Africa and ranks second globally.

In Enugu State, stunting among children under five reportedly increased from 12 percent in 2013 to 15 percent in 2024, highlighting the urgent need to scale up proven interventions, especially within the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life.

Saeed, urged the state government to ensure equitable distribution of the supplies, particularly in rural communities, and to sustain increased budgetary allocation for nutrition. She reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the state to ensure improved child health outcomes.

Responding, Governor Mbah, represented by his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, expressed appreciation to UNICEF for its continued support, which he described as impactful beyond the nutrition sector. He noted that the state had institutionalised nutrition interventions by appointing desk officers across ministries, departments, and agencies.

Mbah also highlighted the government’s school feeding initiative, which provides one meal daily to pupils in Smart Schools as part of efforts to address child nutrition.

George Ugwu, commissioner for Health, in his comment, assured that the distributed items would reach the intended beneficiaries and commended UNICEF for its unwavering focus on children and women.

Earlier, a traditional ruler from Nkanu Kingdom appealed to health workers to ensure fair and transparent distribution of the materials across communities.

The event underscored the importance of sustained collaboration between development partners and government in tackling malnutrition and improving public health outcomes in the state.