By Joyce Ekeh
The Jigawa State Government has approved N570 million as a matching fund for the procurement of essential nutritional commodities to expand the treatment of child malnutrition and prevent nutrition-related deficiencies across the state.
The intervention, which targets vulnerable children and other at-risk groups, comes against the backdrop of the state’s efforts to reduce the burden of malnutrition through sustained investment in therapeutic feeding and micronutrient supplementation.
The Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sport and Culture, Hon. Sagir Musa Ahmad, disclosed the approval while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.
According to him, N300 million of the fund would be used to procure Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and therapeutic milk F75 and F100 through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
The remaining N270 million would be committed to procuring Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) to address nutritional deficiencies and improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations.
Ahmad said the approval was informed by the need to sustain progress in the state’s nutrition interventions, disclosing that 15,957 children recovered out of 18,122 admitted to Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) centres in 2025.
He put the recovery rate at 88.1 per cent, attributing the outcome to government investment in nutrition programmes and partnerships with development organisations.
The commissioner said the latest funding would ensure the continued availability of essential therapeutic foods and nutritional products needed to treat children with severe acute malnutrition.
He explained that the micronutrient supplements would also help prevent nutritional deficiencies and support better health and development among vulnerable groups.
Ahmad expressed optimism that the intervention would consolidate existing gains and expand access to life-saving nutrition services across the state’s 27 local government areas.
