UNICEF seeks N1.2bn as Katsina commits N500m to nutrition

This comes as the United Nations Children's Fund called for an additional N1.2bn investment to address malnutrition and enhance health interventions for women and children in the state. Governor Dikko Radda announced the approval during a courtesy visit by Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, the new Chief of the UNICEF Kano Field Office. Radda highlighted the state's ongoing partnership with UNICEF, which has led to measurable results in combating severe acute malnutrition through stabilization centers and outpatient treatment sites.

The governor pledged to include UNICEF's request for an additional N1.2bn in the state's 2027 budget. Ur-Rehman explained that the N1.2bn, under the Child Nutrition Fund, would be matched by UNICEF to procure Multiple Micronutrient Supplements for pregnant women and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food for children with severe wasting. He commended Katsina for its consistent contributions and its participation in a global pilot program for revised World Health Organization guidelines on preventing and managing severe wasting.

Ur-Rehman also praised Katsina State for progress in healthcare, sanitation, education, and child protection, noting significant increases in routine immunization and birth registration coverage, and for being the first state in Nigeria to appropriate N270m for a SMART Nutrition Survey.