Oyo State Government, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has launched a four-year Multi-Sectoral Strategic Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition (OYSMPFAN), to tackle malnutrition and hunger among children and women.
Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Prof. Musbau Babatunde, launched the project in Ibadan.
He said the state government was committed to eradicating malnutrition.
Represented by the Executive Assistance on Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Gafar Bello, the commissioner said the food and nutrition policy would guide the state in addressing food and nutrition security challenges at all levels, from individuals and households, to communities, local governments and the state itself.
He appreciated UNICEF’s contributions to the development of children, women and other vulnerable groups.
Babatunde said the state government allocated N250 million as its counterpart fund for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRIN) project, a World Bank initiative that began in March 2020.
He said the state government had paid N100 million as its counterpart fund for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund project.
‘In total, Oyo State Government’s contribution is N350,000,000 in terms of money as counterpart contribution to the nutrition fund, to address malnutrition’, he said.
The commissioner said the document was expected to serve as a road map, adding that it aligned with the policies of the Governor Seyi Makinde administration.
He decried the current stunted rate of malnourished children, noting: ‘It’s expected that if the policy is well implemented, it will reduce the percentage’.
UNICEF representative, Mr Boluwatife Ogunjimi, said the stunted rate in Oyo State was about 34.5 per cent.
She said child mortality was attributable to malnutrition, stressing that good nutrition played a leading role in averting deaths of children.
The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Tunde Ayanleke, assured UNICEF that activities in the plan document would be judiciously implemented so that human, materials and financial resources committed to the eventual production of the document would yield positive results.
