By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Malnutrition is contributing to high number of mortality rate amongst under five children in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.
All validated statistics from the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS 2018), the current Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2021) and other surveys conducted by the National Statistics office and development partners indicated that North East Region Nigeria contributes to high burden of infant and child mortality in Nigeria.
These mortality rates in infants and children in the Region are mostly associated with certain basic health care needs that is lacking in the first 1000 days of a child’s life.
According to National Nutrition Health Survey of 2018 stunting rate in under five children as a result malnutrition in the North East stands at 42.8 percent, which is above the National Average of 32 percent. The survey also indicated that underweight children in the region, another indicator of malnutrition, stands at 25.5 percent which is also above the National Average of 19.9 percent.
MICS 2021 further buttress the above statistics by indicating that Minimum Acceptable Diet in the North East stands at 9.5 percent below the the National Average of 12 percent.
It is clear from the above statistics that Malnutrition in children is one of the major health challenge contributing to infants and children deaths in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.
Over the years there had been efforts by Government and international partners to reverse the negative health indices in North East, unfortunately these efforts are not giving the desired results as expected.
On the vanguard in providing support to mitigate the scourge of Malnutrition in the North East are: UNICEF, WHO and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
While these World bodies and USAID had been consistent in their different interventions aimed at reducing malnutrition in children to the bearest minimum, the sustainability of most of these interventions by the respective State Governments that made up the region had remind a huge challenge. These challenges may not be unconnected with other competing needs in the face of scarce government resources. So, the questions on the minds of the states governments and international partners had always been, how can good practice be sustain?
It is heartwarming to note that with the coming of yet another intervention by USAID, some of the challenges militating against improved nutrition in the North East Region may be addressed.
The program, titled “Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity (RRA)” is a five-year USAID-funded program which seeks to fast track economic recovery and growth in vulnerable and conflict-affected areas by promoting systemic change in market systems.
The uniqueness of the RRA program , which is being implemented by MERCY CORPS, is the innovative approach it adopted by way of identifying private food processors and vendors as key stakeholders in making nutritional diets available, using local contents.
This approach does not only stops at making nutritional food available at the lowest possible cost, but also create wealth and provide job opportunities to host communities of such food processors and vendors.
Due to the strategic importance of these entrepreneurs, recently, Mercy Corps , with support from the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and Save the Children (SCI), organized a high level Northeast Nutrition Round-Table Engagement that brought together the private sector, Government actors, the academia and civil society organizations (CSOs) to share experiences and lessons.
The primary objective of the round table meeting was aimed at addressing malnutrition through Nutrition-Sensitive Businesses in Northeast Nigeria using market-led approaches.
The meeting, which was held at the Gombe International Conference Center, brought together key actors and stakeholders with a view to seeking for innovative solutions that leverage on partnerships between the private and public sectors.
While giving an overview of the RRA food and nutrition strategy at the round table meeting, Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) of the USAID funded Activity, Nurein Abdufattah highlighted some of the major challenges that is preventing quality nutrition intake that includes, amongst other factors: Limited access to nutritious food due to high cost of food prices and low income levels, especially at the rural areas of the North East Region.
Abdulfattah also said that, conflicts, displacement of communities due to insecurity, and climate change further disrupts food production and distribution systems, thereby exacerbating the problem around nutrition.
Other challenges according to the DCoP is the inadequate healthcare infrastructure, low coverage of essential healthcare services and lack of awareness about proper nutrition.
Abdulfattah further stressed that, inadequate agricultural practices, such as low crop yields and post harvest losses further contribute to food insecurity and malnutrition in the Region.
The DCoP then proffered that, “businesses are well placed to solve malnutrition problems because they have the capacity and resources to produce and distribute nutritious foods and the incentives to do so.
While expressing their optimism to Daily Chronicle on the sidelines, some of the private sector operators in the food processing and vending business, appreciated the effort of RRA program saying that, the activity has broadened their scope of thoughts on how to enhance their businesses and at the same making their nutritional foods accessible and affordable to the generality of Nigerians, especially those in rural areas.
The participants also commended Mercy Corps for organizing the round table meeting that brought together experts in food processing, government regulatory bodies, entrepreneurs, traditional leaders and other key State actors with a view to finding solutions to a sustainable nutrition intervention in the North East Region.
Though most of the participants sounded excited at the end of the Nutrition Round Table Meeting, they were however, unanimous in voicing out some of the challenges impeding the growth of their businesses.
One of the major challenge they pointed is the lackluster attitude of government at all levels in relation to empowering their businesses through financial grants.
Other challenges according to some of the entrepreneurs is the low patronage of their products by consumers.
During the Gombe Round Table meeting, that attracted food processors and vendors from North Eastern States of Adamawa, Borno , Gombe and Yobe, government regulatory agencies that includes NAFDAC, SON and other relevant state MDAs were on ground to to sensitize participants on their respective roles as it affects their businesses.
Feelers from key stakeholders during the meeting clearly indicated that USAID funded RRA Program being implemented by Mercy Corps may have created an avenue for a sustainable measure to mitigate malnutrition in the North East, that could be replicated in other States across Nigeria.