Matching Fund: Stakeholders Seek Commitment Of State Governments

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative, Cristian Munduate has stressed the need for the Federal, state, and Local Governments to unlock the Nutrition Matching Fund for the welfare and survival of children in the country.

The UNICEF Country Director who stated this in Abuja, at the National Nutrition Technical Working Group (NNTWG) meeting said 34 Million children received doses of Vitamin A in 2023.

She noted that a total of nine Million children were dewormed while deworming 50 million children was still the goal for the country.

According to her, ” Three million Pregnant women were supplemented with multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) and iron-folic acid (IFA), one million children received treatment for Severe Acute Malnutrition, {SAM}.

The UNICEF Country Representative who commended the Federal government for reaching the children last year, reiterated the need to scale up nutrition interventions.

Ms Cristian Munduate emphasized the need for the government to show commitment in the welfare and survival of children and the vulnerable in society.

The Nutrition Officer, UNICEF, Nkeiruka Enwelum who explained further the importance of the marching fund, called on all state governments to release the fund in the interest of vulnerable children.

”The Fund provides a 1:1 match, so every dollar, naira or shilling each country invests in nutrition commodities for the prevention and treatment of child wasting, the Fund contributes an additional one.”

The Director and Head, the Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Ayegbusi, commended all the partners at the meeting and added that every sub-committee supported the nutrition department to accomplish its mandate.

Mrs. Aiyegbusi who stressed the need for all state governments to increase the uptake of nutrition funding, solicited the support of all stakeholders for actualization of the mandate of the Nutrition Department and the ministry.

She noted that the Nutrition Department at the Federal Ministry of Health now has three divisions and nine branches.

The Director therefore solicited the support of all stakeholders for actualization of the mandate of the Nutrition department and the ministry.