By Sani Adamu Hassan
The Bauchi State Government has approved the release of ₦300 million as counterpart funding to tackle severe acute malnutrition among children under the age of five across the state.
The funds will be handed to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which will match the amount under the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) project.
Announcing the development, at the closing out ceremony of Alive & Thrive fhi360, a 3-year Accelerating the scale-up of Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (ASMIYCN), Project and Dissemination of the Bauchi State Essential Medicine Lists and MMS Project, the State Commissioner of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Sani Mohammed Dambam, said the gesture demonstrates government’s “commitment to improving quality and efficient service delivery in the healthcare sector to keep a healthy society.”
He explained that Bauchi has benefitted greatly from the three-year Alive & Thrive fhi360 project, which supported maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. According to him, “The close-out will not be the end of our partnership. We look forward to more projects from Alive & Thrive.”
On his part, the Country Representative of Alive & Thrive fhi360, Dr. Victor Ogbodo, lauded the Bauchi government for its collaboration. Represented by Dr. James Oloyede, he noted, “As a release, in closing, another one is about to open,” stressing that the project enjoyed full cooperation in the state.
Dr. Oloyede observed that nutrition challenges remain widespread nationally, citing the NDHS 2023/2024 findings which showed “no change in exclusive breastfeeding (29%), worsening stunting (from 37% to 40%), wasting (from 7% to 8%) and underweight (from 22% to 27%). Only one out of 10 children under five received minimum dietary diversity.”
He added that antenatal care (ANC) attendance had dropped to 43% from 67%, though facility deliveries improved slightly. Despite these challenges, he expressed satisfaction that in 89 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across six LGAs in Bauchi, “things had improved.”
Delivering a keynote address, the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, stressed the link between nutrition and development. “Maternal and child nutrition is a cornerstone of human capital development. When women are healthy and adequately nourished during pregnancy… we lay the foundation for a healthier, stronger, and more productive society,” he stated.
He commended Alive & Thrive-FHI360 and their partners for supporting women and children, noting that thousands of pregnant women accessed multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) which helped reduce maternal anaemia, low birthweight, and other complications.
Dr. Mohammed also highlighted gains in infant and young child feeding practices, explaining that mothers were empowered to practice exclusive breastfeeding for six months, timely complementary feeding, and continued breastfeeding up to two years. These, he said, are “proven to reduce malnutrition and child mortality, and improve cognitive development.”
Other key achievements, he said, included training of health workers to provide quality nutrition counselling and distribute MMS, as well as community mobilisation that embedded nutrition messages into dialogues, sermons, and cultural practices. “This level of community ownership will help ensure sustainability,” he added.
He also pointed to policy and advocacy progress, saying Alive & Thrive worked with the Ministry of Health to align nutrition policies with global best practices. According to him, “The project has demonstrated the feasibility of scaling MMS across the state and integrating MIYCN into routine services.”
Despite the progress, Dr. Mohammed admitted challenges persist, including malnutrition, stunting, anaemia, poverty, and cultural barriers. “These challenges remind us that the journey must continue, even as this specific project comes to an end,” he cautioned.
He therefore urged that nutrition interventions must be mainstreamed into the state’s primary healthcare system, stressing, “Every child born in Bauchi deserves the best start in life. Every mother deserves the support to nurture her baby. And every family deserves the opportunity to thrive.”
