By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate has assured that the government is doing everything possible to ensure local production of Ready-to-Use Foods (RUFs) to fight acute severe malnutrition (SAM) in children U-5 in the country.
The availability through local production will reduce its cost and meet up with the increasing demands to address malnutrition cases in the country.
The Minister was speaking through the Director, Nutrition Department of the Ministry, Mrs Ladidi Bako- Ayeigbusi during the fourth quarterly meeting of the RUFs Coalition in Abuja on Wednesay, December 18th, 2024, at Stratton Hotel, Asokoro.
The Minister emphasized that Federal Government will not support the importation of any nutrition commodity that is produced locally.
He therefore assured manufacturers of the support and backing of the Federal Government by looking for financing and investment options.
” Let us know where the challenges and possible solutions are to ensure self-sufficiency in production and distribution of nutrition commodities across the country”, he added.
In a goodwill message, the Co-Chair of the Coalition, Mr. Chinonso Emmanuel, on behalf of the Minister, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment acknowledged that the journey for the RUFs Coalition was critical and the efforts were aimed at ensuring that the sector areas survive.
According to him, “We as a Ministry are looking at the value chain and we appreciate the support being received from development partners and local manufacturers”.
On her part, Pauline Adah, the Nutrition Advisor of Advancing Nutrition in Nigeria funded by United State Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Helen Keller Intl expressed gratitude to participants for attending the meeting.
She said that the project supports the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure that nutrition services reach every child and breastfeeding mother.
A draft advocacy brief to support local production of RUFs to tackle malnutrition in the country was presented to members of the coalition during the meeting, which was attended by representatives of Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, USAID, UNICEF, Helen Keller Intl, Academia, and Manufacturers.
