Food And Nutrition: Southwest Review of National Policy Will Enhance Coordination And Implementation- HFDI ED
By Titilola Olaniyan,
The Executive Director, Hope for Family Development Initiative HFDI, Ambassador Dr Aremu Stephen Akinyele has described the review of the national policy on food and nutrition as a right action that will enhance coordination and implementation delivery in various states of the southwest zone.
The ED, gave the remarks over the 2-day South West Zonal Stakeholders Consultative Meeting, where HFDI was one of the participants, organized by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP) in collaboration with UNICEF, The World Bank, and the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, held at Dover Hotel Conference hall Ikeja, Lagos State.
The two-day event on reviewing of the existing National Policy on Food and Nutrition, assessed the level of implementation across the South West states which include Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, Ekiti, and Ondo state.
The Permanent Secretaries from each of the six participating states in their various goodwill messages reaffirmed their respective states’ commitment to tackling malnutrition through sustained investment and stronger multi-sectoral collaboration.
The PS’s also commended the Federal Government, UNICEF, and other development partners for their continued leadership and technical support in driving nutrition initiatives across the country.
Participants were presented with a detailed assessment report on the implementation of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition across the South West states, and the presentation highlighted key objectives of the policy such as attaining optimal nutritional status for all Nigerians, ensuring co-coverage of high-impact interventions, and focusing on vulnerable groups particularly children under five, school-age children, adolescents, women of reproductive age, and the elderly.
While the assessment revealed commendable progress in awareness creation, stakeholder engagement, and inter-sectoral coordination, it also identified gaps such as inadequate funding, weak monitoring systems, and limited integration of nutrition into other development sectors.
The interactive consultative meeting discuss, that was solution-driven, fostering ownership strategies showcased each state’s unique realities, reflected in the zonal contributions to the national review process, with specific recommendations to strengthen its content and implementation strategy.
Ambassador Aremu commended the presentations of the southwest states on their reviewed drafts of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition, which highlighted key areas of alignment, identified gaps, and proposed revisions, a gesture which further enriched the zonal consultation process by fostering mutual learning, collective problem-solving, and shared accountability towards improving nutrition outcomes in the region.
Stating that with the expected outcomes of the consultative meeting which include the harmonization of all state inputs into a comprehensive South West Zonal report, he added that Hope for Family Development Initiative looks forward to an improved National Policy on Food and Nutrition effectively implemented at all levels to achieve better nutrition outcomes for all.
At the conclusion of the two-day meeting, participants expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, UNICEF, The World Bank, and the ANRiN project for their continued leadership and commitment to improving nutrition in Nigeria.