Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria has urged Kaduna and other pilot states to approve and implement their State Multi sectoral Plan of Action for Nutrition (SMPAN) to save women and children dying daily of malnutrition.
CS_SUNN wants pilot states like Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa and Niger to swiftly approve and commence implementation of SMPAN to effectively address malnutrition, diabetes, obesity and other nutrition based towards achieving seven major objectives by 2025 and some of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Speaking in a Twitter chat hosted by CS_SUNN on approval of State Multi sectoral Plan of Action for Nutrition, its Executive Secretary, Mrs Beatrice Eluaka, commended Kaduna state government for approving eight months maternity leave with pay for civil servants to encourage exclusive breastfeeding.
She noted that Kaduna state government can address hunger and malnutrition through the SMPAN, adding, “if well funded and implemented KDSMPAN will contribute to the elimination of all forms of malnutrition and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”
CS_SUNN said approval and implementation of SMPAN will in 5 years; “Increase exclusive breastfeeding rate by 65%; Reduce childhood wasting including severe acute malnutrition (SAM) to 10%; Reduce stunting rate among under-5 children to 18%; Reduce anaemia among pregnant women to 40%”.
CS_SUNN said approval of SMPAN will by 2025, further achieve; Increase access to potable water to 70%; Reduce incidence of malnutrition among victims of emergency by 50% and arrest emergency increase in obesity prevalence in adolescents and adults.
According to the civil society group, “Malnutrition has multi-faceted causes, it is a multi-sectoral issue, all nutrition-line sectors need to come together to address the burden of malnutrition. Addressing malnutrition needs a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach. SMPAN is designed to guide implementation of nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions by all ministries, departments and agencies in the states.
“The goal of SMPAN is optimal nutritional status for all residents through accelerating the scaling up of priority high impact nutrition specific nutrition sensitive interventions with focus on the most vulnerable, especially women, children and internally displaced persons.”
