In a major step to fight malnutrition, the Jigawa State Government has empowered 600 women with skills to produce locally made Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) aimed at reducing the number of undernourished children across the state.
Governor Umar Namadi made this known during the graduation ceremony of the beneficiaries held at the Banquet Hall in Dutse.
The governor voiced concern over the rising cases of child malnutrition in the state, despite ongoing interventions by the government to curb the crisis each year.
He noted that Jigawa spends over N250 million annually on procuring RUTF to treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition at various CMAM centers throughout the state.
According to him, “Year after year, NHHS has been portraying green pictures of nutrition status of the state, which fall among the states with higher number of stunted children in the country despite the huge amount spent every year.
“The state government introduced the use of Tom Brown due to its acceptability in some parts of the country for its usage in the treatment of moderate malnutrition cases.”
Governor Namadi further explained that Tom Brown, locally referred to as Kwashpap, has proven effective in addressing moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). It is made using a mix of accessible ingredients like millet, groundnut, and soybeans.
He added that this initiative supports the state’s wider nutrition policy, which is already seeing results: the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) reports a drop in stunting rates from 64% in 2018 to about 55%.
Dr. Habib Muhammad Ubale, Director General of the Economic Employment and Youths Employment Agency, also noted that the women were trained on how to utilize local ingredients to promote healthy growth and development in children.
Nigerian State (Jigawa) Trains 600 Women to Tackle Child Malnutrition with Local Therapeutic Food
