Group decries alarming malnutrition rate among Nigerian women

Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria has decried the alarming rate of malnutrition among girls and women in the country, as well as the inadequate budgetary allocation to nutrition.

The organization also stated that nutrition interventions for non-pregnant and non-lactating women are necessary.

Sunday Okoronkwo, the Executive Secretary of CS-SUNN, stated at the two-day strategic workshop held in Abuja in collaboration with FHI solutions that malnutrition among women and girls is a problem that does not receive adequate attention.

The purpose of this workshop is to develop a joint advocacy action plan for accelerating progress on the nutrition of women and girls in Nigeria.

According to a global report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, Nigeria is one of the twelve nations hardest hit by the global food and nutrition crisis.

According to UNICEF, the number of undernourished adolescent girls and women aged 15-49 in Nigeria will increase from 5.6 million in 2018 to 7.3 million in 2021.

Okoronkwo stated, “Malnutrition among women and girls is alarming, and it is a challenge that it has not received adequate attention. In our nutrition strategy, guidelines, and plans, there is mention of interventions for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. However, there are other women and girls that are not captured, such as the woman who is not pregnant or breastfeeding, or the adolescent girl who will eventually become a mother. These women and girls also have nutritional needs and should be considered when obtaining the nutrition they require.

“These policies and strategies should be reviewed to ensure that interventions are designed to meet the nutritional needs of this population. Appropriate funding must be allocated to ensure that these strategies are implemented. When comparing the burden to the amount of money allocated for nutrition, it is evident that the funding for nutrition in the country is grossly inadequate.

If you examine the number of malnourished children and anemic pregnant women, as well as the amount of money allocated by the government to combat these problems, you will discover that it is grossly inadequate.

He noted that the workshop will aid in the development of action plans for optimal nutrition for women and girls in Nigeria by coalition members, organizations involved with women and girls, and gender by 2028.

In addition, the former executive secretary of CS-SUNN, Beatrice Eluaka, believes that when the workshop’s work plan is developed, advocacy activities will be conducted to raise funds for the plan’s implementation.

“The essence is to improve the nutritional quality of life for women and girls. Up until now, our focus has been on mothers, children, and pregnant women, and we have tended to ignore girl children, adolescents, and women who are not mothers or who have completed childbearing. These individuals have unique dietary requirements, and everyone must be transported.

“We have advocated for an adequate budget for the national nutrition plan’s implementation. There is insufficient funding, and our experience has shown that even when there is a budget line for nutrition, the funds allocated to that line are insufficient. We will continue to advocate until we can secure additional funding from the government, international organizations, and the private sector,” said Eluaka.

(TNT)