By Franca Ofili
The Federal Government says it is training no fewer than 60 Borno health workers on nutrition to enhance optimal maternal, infant and young child nutrition communication.
Mrs Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Director, Head of Nutrition Division, Federal Ministry of Health, spoke at the opening of the eight-day training held on Monday in Maiduguri, Borno.
Bako-Aiyegbusi said that the eight-day capacity building exercise for health workers was to enhance optimal Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) in the country.
She said the training was aimed at increasing quality and cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls and children under five years of age.
“The project, funded by the World Bank at the tune of 232 million dollars in partnership with the Federal Government, is implementing a five-year nutrition programme tagged “Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN).”
Bako-Aiyegbusi said the project was to increase quality and cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls and children under five years of age.
She said that the objective of MIYCM course was to provide basic training on maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition for those who care for mothers and young children (0-59 months).
According to her, the training will provide participants up to date information on MIYCN best practices based on its policy, strategy and guidelines.
She said the MIYCN course would also help to maximise the impacts on child growth and micronutrient status by focusing on maternal nutrition, delivery practices, and improved infant and young child feeding.
Bako-Aiyegbusi said that nutrition was on the front burner because people were bothered about the poor indices of nutrition in the country.
She identified poor knowledge as the cause of poor nutrition in the country.
“We have realised that the key thing that is leading to the poor indices of nutrition is poor knowledge of individual households in the communities on healthy feeding practices,” Bako-Aiyegbusi said.
According to her, the training is going to be very intense and educational as the trainees will learn some things in a new way.
In his speech, Prof. Baba Gana Commissioner of Health, Borno, said that the issue of nutrition could not be overemphasised.
Gana, represented by Alhaji. Baba Kaidai, Permanent Secretary of State Ministry of Health, said that the knowledge that would be acquired at the training would go a long way to address nutritional issues.
He advised the participants to focus and pay attention to enable them to pass the knowledge to the communities.
Mr Salihu Tunga, Team lead from the Federal Ministry of Health, said that the training was to change the narrative of nutrition in the state and the country.
Tunga advised the participants to focus on and learn to get the update on nutritional practice.
“By the end of the training, you will have learnt a lot about using locally made products to prepare a nutritional diet.”
Tunga said that Nigeria had the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five.
He said that the effect of nutrition was poor infant and young child feeding practices.
According to him, at the end of the training, the participants will learn how to use locally made products to feed the children well especially in the first 1000 days of birth.
“At the end of the training you will go to the grassroots to educate them on better ways people can ensure that their children are healthy,” he said.
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA