By: ABC News Nigeria
KATSINA — Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has pledged sustained government investment in nutrition programmes to tackle malnutrition and consolidate progress recorded across Katsina State.
The governor gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of nutrition partners operating in the state, led by Hajiya Ruqqaya Hamza, Executive Director of the Katsina State Development Management Board (KATDMB), at Government House.
Governor Radda reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to prioritising nutrition, describing continued collaboration with development partners as essential to strengthening healthcare delivery and improving nutrition outcomes.
He urged the partners to sustain their technical assistance and institutional support, stressing that long-term progress would require effective cooperation between the state government and development organisations.
The governor also called on the partners to comply with the state’s recruitment policy by giving qualified Katsina indigenes priority in their programmes.
According to him, developing local expertise and integrating skilled personnel into government institutions would help ensure that interventions remain sustainable beyond the period of external support.
Radda cited the Katsina State Development Management Board as an example of how partnership-driven capacity building could strengthen government institutions, noting that some of its staff had benefited from support provided by development partners.
Earlier, during an interactive session, the nutrition partners presented updates on their interventions across Katsina State and reported a significant reduction in malnutrition cases compared with the previous year.
They attributed the reported improvement to increased government investment, leadership and political commitment to addressing nutrition challenges.
The partners commended the state government for committing resources to nutrition interventions and called for stronger collaboration to sustain the reported gains and further improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families.
Organisations represented at the meeting included UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), ALIMA, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), JHPIEGO, Première Urgence Internationale (PUI), International Medical Corps (IMC), Médecins du Monde (MDM), Helen Keller International (HKI), Nutrition International, Save the Children/CGPP and Action Against Hunger.
The governor was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abdulkadir Nasir Mamman, as well as Malam Mustapha Shehu, Dr. Shaimau Kabir and other government officials.
The meeting underscored the importance of sustained public investment, local capacity development and coordinated action in the state’s efforts to reduce malnutrition.
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