- Nigeria has moved closer to ending the chronic issues of malnutrition especially in children
- The Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods project was launched recently in Lagos
- The project is designed to support local food processors to produce more fortified foods to combat malnutrition
Nigeria's minister of trade and investment, Okechukwu Enelamah has launched the Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods project in Lagos.
The minister who was represented by the permanent secretary, Malam Aminu Bisalla, said the National Nutrition and Health Survey (NNHS) assessment of 2013, reveals that two out of three children under the age of five are chronically malnourished in Nigeria.
He pointed out that the federal government had been making effort to improve the situation with its drive to ensure compliance to food fortification regulations.
NAIJ.com gathered that the $10million (over N3billion) four-year project is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and is designed to support local food processors produce more fortified foods to combat malnutrition.
Stakeholders at the well attended event pose for a photograph. Source: Seun Olola
The project will be implemented by TechnoServe in partnership with Partners in Food Solution and other non-governmental organizations.
The intervention fund is to boost the capacity of at least 40 local food companies to produce and sell fortified foods for local market with the objective to increase the competitiveness of companies that produce nutritious foods and to ensure Nigerians of all status have access to healthy food to meet daily dietary requirements.
Speaking at the event, the director of nutrition for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in United States, Mr Shawn Baker, disclosed that the intervention was necessitated by low technical expertise and compliance among food processors in three African countries, namely Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania.
His words: “Almost half of children that die in Africa yearly die because of lack of access to nutritious foods.
“It has been established that fortified foods are essential for physical and mental development of children. At Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we believe tackling challenges against production of fortified foods is important to promote global health.
“We are supporting this initiative to galvanise the private sector players to ensure that the foods they are taking to the market is healthy for consumption.”
The launch was attended by representatives of the ministers of agriculture, health and budget and national planning and NAFDAC.
Donors and international development agencies at the event included USAID, DFID, UNICEF, EU, BMGF, ECOWAS, World Bank and the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
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In another development, an NGO, Jose Foundation, has made a move to address the rising cases of child exploitation in Nigeria.
NAIJ.com gathered that the foundation has partnered with experts based in the United Kingdom to launch a book on Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE).
It also aims for members of the public to understand the consequences of CSE especially with reference with experiences from Rotherham in the UK.
The book is titled Child Sexual Exploitation After Rotherham, Understanding the Consequences and Recommendations for Practice, and it was launched recently at the Kingston University, London.
Watch the video report on how Nigerian youths organised a protest at the National Assembly recently.