Health Ministry Harps On Policy Implementation For Improved Nutrition

By Florence Adewale

The Federal Ministry of Health has identified delay in translation of Policy frameworks into actionable Programmes as one of the Challenges slowing down the fulfilment of Commitments made in the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit.

The Director, Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi made this known in Abuja, at a media engagement on Advancing Nigeria’s Nutrition Commitments from pledges into concrete action for improved nutrition.

Mrs. Bako-Aiyegbusi said though a lot of progress had been made through domestication of most of the policies to improve nutrition at the national level which include six months maternity leave and interventions in collaboration with partners such as integration of food supplement powder into the routine immunization among others.

Bako-Aiyegbusi who said the ministry is working to ensure all hands are on deck and had put in place measures through training of master trainers to train others at the grassroots stressed the need for governments at the subnational levels to mobilize more funds for the impact of the policies to be felt by the target audience.

The Executive Secretary, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, Mr. Sunday Okonkwo who pledged the collaboration with other partners to support nutrition programmes called for improved budgetary allocation as well as media collaboration to ensure issues on nutrition and stunt growth are reduced to the barest minimum in Nigeria.

According to Mr. Okonkwo, the meeting was aimed at ensuring that stakeholders in relevant agencies of government do not only express commitment for improved nutrition but expedite a paradigm shift from verbal commitments to institutional and operational commitments. This shift will translate to meaningful and impactful nutrition mechanisms like, enabling legislation, policies and plans for nutrition, improved coordination and institutional framework, better data, monitoring and accountability system”.

Also, the Nutrition Policy Analyst of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Chidinma Ezenwa said the organisation has been engaging Governors to share experiences so that other states could learn to ensure all states are at the same pace of improved nutrition.

Other stakeholders at the forum which include representatives from relevant government ministries, the Ministry of Information and Orientation, Agriculture and Food Security and Water Resources and Sanitation stressed the need for synergy that would enable the country actualize the common goal of priotizing the welfare of the nation’s populace.

Edited By Grace Namiji