The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, will on Tuesday April 23, declare open the Summit of Faith Leaders’ on Nutrition in Nigeria.
The one-day summit billed to hold at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by 10am is being organized by the Office of the Vice President in collaboration with the National Council on Nutrition (NCN) and the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN Project).
The high-level dialogue with the theme, “Faith Leaders as Catalysts for Enhanced Human Capital Through Nutrition”, aims to define sustainable pathways for improving Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) practices in Nigeria.
The event which will bring together the apex bodies of the Christian and Muslim faiths, as well as influential traditional institutions in the country will also be used as a platform among faith and traditional leaders in Nigeria as well as to secure commitments for sustained gains in nutrition investments.
Apart from formally declaring open the summit, Vice President Shettima is expected to also deliver the keynote address at the one-day dialogue.
According to the organisers, despite concerted efforts and policy frameworks, malnutrition remains a pervasive issue in Nigeria, even as the nation continues to face significant challenges with malnutrition, notably among children, affecting the nation’s health, economic productivity, and developmental progress.
Shedding more light on the significance of the summit, the Team Leader of the ANRiN Project at the World Bank, Dr. Ritgak Tilley Gyado said, “Nutrition has far-reaching implications for human capital accumulation and Nigeria’s future economic growth. A failure to address human capital challenges today implies deferring some future economic growth.
In the short term also, there is a prevailing food crisis with its attendant risks on health, malnutrition and well-being. This needs to be tackled headlong. Behavioural interventions are amongst the sharpest arrows in the quiver; highly potent, cost-effective and leveraging an inclusive whole-of-society approaches towards shared prosperity.”
Highlights of the one-day national dialogue include a presentation on the Overview of ANRiN Project Faith Leaders Program, Data on the State of Nutrition in Nigeria, Keynote Address on the Importance of Collaboration in Tackling Malnutrition in Nigeria, and the Signing of a Statement of Commitment to the Promotion of Nutrition Packages of Services in Nigeria.
*Stanley Nkwocha*
*Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications*
*(Office of The Vice President)*
*17th April, 2024*
