Communique from policy dialogue on uptake of Multiple Micronutritional Supplements - MeCAM

A COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE END OF A DAY POLICY DIALOGUE ON THE UPTAKE OF MULTIPLE MICRONUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTS (MMS) TO PREVENT ANAEMIA, HELD AT GOLFVIEW HOTELS, IKEJA GRA, LAGOS STATE, ON FRIDAY, 6TH DECEMBER 2024, PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL COORDINATOR, MEDIA CENTRE AGAINST MALNUTRITION (MeCAM), OGBUEFI REMMY NWEKE.

Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) are vital nutritional interventions designed to address deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals. The United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation (UNIMMAP) also known as (UNIMMAP MMS) formulation includes 15 critical micronutrients, such as vitamins A, B1–B12, C, D, E, folate, and minerals like iron, iodine, zinc, selenium, and copper. These nutrients are carefully tailored to meet the specific needs of pregnant women, ensuring they receive adequate nourishment during a crucial period of increased nutritional demand.

Communiqué from Abuja 3-Day Media Training, Field Visit by CS-SUNN

Communiqué issued at the end of a 3-day Media Training/Field visit at Consort Luxury Suites, Abuja from October 29th to November 1st, 2018.

Theme: The Journalists’ Role in Ensuring Transparency and Accountability in Allocation and Use of Health/Nutrition Funds in Nigeria. 

The Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) under the Partnership for Improving Nigeria Nutrition Systems (PINNS) project, organized the training to build capacity of media practitioners to develop stories and programmes focusing on transparency and accountability in allocation and use of health/nutrition funds in focal states and the country at large. The training was also organized to engender passion and commitment to reporting health and nutrition issues through site visit to Kwali Primary Health Care (PHC) Centre for firsthand experience of the challenges in the sector among other important issues.

It was observed that:

1. Malnutrition is a multi-sectorial issue of serious concern that requires a collective response.

2. Nigeria loses over 2000 children under five years of age on daily basis due to malnutrition.

3. Over 145 women of child bearing age die daily due to malnutrition.

4. The first 1000 days of life from the time of conception to a child’s second birth day is not prioritized.

5. Governments have not been making adequate budgetary allocation, approval, timely release and cash backing.

6. Where budgets are allocated and released, they focus more on the curative measures than preventive measures.

7. A malnourished child when immunized does not absorb/utilize the immunization.

8. There is low reportage of nutrition related issues in Nigeria.

9. 53% of deaths from child killer diseases is directly related to malnutrition.

10. Most mothers at the PHC are not practicing Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF).

11. There is lack of male/husband involvement and support towards EBF.

Recommendations:

1. Participants agreed that stakeholders (Government, Media, CSOs, care givers, Donor agencies etc) need to place emphasis on preventive than curative measures.

2. Government and policy makers should be held accountable for their commitments.

3. Journalists should be consistent in their reportage on nutrition.

4. Media practitioners should hold government accountable by getting enough information aimed at addressing nutrition issues.

5. Media should put nutrition at the front burner and influence policy decisions through their reportage for improved nutrition interventions.

6. Participants should advocate for policies to mainstream nutrition into agriculture.

7. Media should sensitize women on the need to exclusively breastfeed their children in the first six (6) months of life, without addition of water.

8. Media should also sensitize women to continue to breastfeed their children for two years in addition to adequate complementary feeding.

9. Media practitioners are encouraged to explore key components of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so as to bring to the fore requisite solutions to the plights of women, children and other vulnerable groups.

10. Government should scale up and sustain existing interventions on nutrition.

11. Media should intensify campaign towards behavioral change, especially for men to support EBF.


Signed:

Mr. Salihu Mohammed Alkali (chairman, drafting committee)

Priscilla Dennis (Mrs) (secretary, drafting committee)

African Dev. Bank, FAO target investments to end malnutrition

PRESS RELEASE:

27 August 2018, Rome - The African Development Bank (AfDB) and FAO today agreed to boost joint efforts aimed at catalysing agriculture sector investments in Africa to end hunger and malnutrition and increase prosperity throughout the continent. In terms of the agreement, the AfDB and FAO are committed to raise up to $100 million over five years, to support joint partnership activities.

Specifically, the new strategic alliance seeks to enhance the quality and impact of investment in food security, nutrition, social protection, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development.

AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva signed the agreement, which builds on a longstanding collaboration between their organizations, at the UN agency's Rome headquarters.

"FAO and the AfDB are deepening and broadening our partnership to assist African countries achieve the sustainable development goals. Leveraging investments in agriculture, including from the private sector, is key to lift millions of people from hunger and poverty in Africa and to ensure that enough food is produced and that enough rural jobs are created for the continent's growing population," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina said: "The signing of this supplementary agreement is a milestone moment in the relationship between the African Development Bank and FAO. It signals our joint commitment to accelerate the delivery of high quality programs and increased investment for public-private-partnerships in Africa's agriculture sector. This will help us achieve the vision of making agriculture a business, as enshrined in the Bank's Feed Africa strategy."

The Bank's Feed Africa strategy, launched in 2015, targets to invest $24 billion into African agriculture over a ten-year period. The aim is that of improving agricultural policies, markets, infrastructure and institutions to ensure that agricultural value chains are well developed and that improved technologies are made available to reach several millions farmers.

A programme of action

The strengthened partnership between the AfDB and FAO envisages a collaborative programme of action with a series of outcomes, including: better and more effective AfDB financed investment operations; increased public-private-partnership investments; a better investment climate and portfolio performance; and, advocacy and joint resources mobilization. FAO's technical assistance would cover areas such as sustainable agricultural intensification and diversification, scaling up value chain innovations, youth in agriculture and agribusiness, agricultural statistics, climate smart agriculture, blue growth/blue economy, food security and nutrition, agri-food system, food safety and standards, women's economic empowerment, promotion of responsible private investments, resilience and risk management and capacity building for transition states.

The collaborative programme would be created through an initial financial contribution of up to $15 million by the two institutions.

Joint advocacy and policy advice activities will include the promotion of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests and the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems, both endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security.

The collaboration between the AfDB and FAO began in 1968. Since then, FAO has provided technical assistance to the formulation of 161 AfDB financed projects, valued at over $3.7 billion representing about 21 percent of AfDB's support to the agricultural sector.

Recent collaboration between the Bank and the FAO include project formulation support in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea; technical assistance for the development of Blue economy programmes in Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco and Cape Verde, feasibility studies for agricultural transformation centres in Zambia, Tanzania and Côte d'Ivoire; and participation in the African Leaders for Nutrition initiative.

The Bank and the FAO have also contributed to a series of continental dialogues on post-harvest loss reduction, and the Great Green Wall of the Sahel and Sahara Initiative.

Pix: FAO Director General Josè Graziano da Silva and Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, signing the Supplementary Cooperation Agreement between the two Institutions

FAO/Giulio Napolitano.

Journalists & editors:
For video, photos, audio clips contact: (+39) 06 570 53625 or FAO-newsroom@fao.org.

Aisha Buhari gets involved in malnutrition matters

On 21 July 2016, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, wife of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria launched the “GET INVOLVED” programme to help end preventable maternal, new born and child deaths. 

The programme is part of the Future Assured project designed to provide solutions to problems of malnutrition among children in the country.

As an advocacy champion, the First Lady aims to contribute to the acceleration of efforts to End Preventable Maternal, New born and Child deaths through advocacy and the strengthening of accountability mechanisms in order to enhance the peace and development of Nigeria.

The “GET INVOLVED” quick interventionist programme focuses on preventing annual death of thousands of malnourished Nigerian children living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the country. 

It envisages the active participation of civil society, private sector and non-governmental organizations in response to the alarming outbreak of malnutrition in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

More information on:  GET INVOLVED programme

More information on Future Assured project: http://futureassured.org.ng/