COVID-19 has worsened child nutrition challenge ― APC govs

Governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have declared that the pandemic, coronavirus (COVID-19) has compounded the nutritional challenge facing the children of the vulnerable in the country.

Governor of Plateau State and co-chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum Governance Programme Steering Committee, Simon Bako Lalong, made the observation in his opening remarks at the Teleconference Meeting of Secretaries to Governments of All Progressives Congress States, under the aegis of the PGF held on Thursday.

The theme of the conference was Developing Common Policy Initiatives on Promoting Child Nutrition in the APC States.

The Plateau State governor noted that the pandemic has introduced entirely new dimensions to the crisis of nutrition by aggravating and widening the scope of the problem beyond the children, to include the adult population.

He said the APC governors were determined to put the issue of child nutrition on the front burner and develop an enduring framework that would not only address the challenge of child nutrition within the shortest time possible but also ensure that access to food by all vulnerable households was reasonably guaranteed at all times.

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Governor Lalong said malnutrition and undernourishment “is a social, economic and developmental challenge that must be addressed holistically, as part of the nation’s commitment towards the attainment of the United Nations Social Development Goals (UN-SDGs) and meeting the target of zero hunger in the country by 2030.”

He affirmed the commitment of the APC Governors to initiate coordinated action and partnerships with critical stakeholders, including the Federal Government, the national and state assemblies, development partners, Civil Society Organisations and the private sector to combat child nutrition.

The Co-chairman of the PGF Steering Committee called on all the Secretaries to APC State Governments to broaden and share understanding of the issues related to child nutrition in the respective APC States while deepening the scope of interventions that will bring beneficial outcomes.

He further urged all the secretaries to APC state governments to examine current approaches and other global experiences and come up with practical and actionable plans that would assist the governments of APC states to fast track policy formulation and implementation, as well as the critical issues of resource mobilisation towards eradicating child malnutrition in the APC states.

He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government for the sustained support it has provided state governments since 2015 and called for the stronger partnership to develop common policy initiatives on promoting child nutrition in the country, particularly in these challenging times.

At the end of the technical sessions, the meeting recommended increased commitment and political will towards improving child nutrition in the APC states through enhancing resource mobilisation and incorporating in the annual budget both nutrition-specific interventions and programmes and nutrition-sensitive programmes.

It advised the governors to “engage concertedly with critical stakeholders to explore cross-sectoral opportunities for child nutrition interventions at all levels.”

The session also recommended workable plan and implement nutrition policy interventions and programmes that will be sustainable and resilient to the impacts of COVID-19 and the associated economic fallouts.

The meeting asked the governors to develop and strengthen legislation, policies, strategies and action plans with measurable outcomes for nutritional and related interventions, including pregnant women, youth, and other vulnerable households.

The meeting was facilitated by members of the PGF Governance Programme Steering Committee comprising non-partisan and committed experts and scholars on economic development and social welfare.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE