Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has pledged sustained investment in nutrition and healthcare after development partners reported a reduction in malnutrition cases across the state compared with last year.
Radda gave the assurance when he received a delegation of nutrition partners led by the Executive Director of the Katsina State Development Management Board, Hajiya Ruqqaya Hamza, at the Government House.
According to the statement signed by his chief press secretary,Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed ,said his administration would continue to prioritise nutrition and urged development partners to sustain technical assistance and institutional support to strengthen the state’s healthcare and nutrition systems.
He also called on the partners to comply with the state’s recruitment policy by prioritising qualified Katsina indigenes in their programmes.
Radda said building local capacity and integrating skilled personnel into government structures were critical to sustaining progress.
He cited the Katsina State Development Management Board, where some staff had benefited from partners’ support, as an example of the importance of investing in human capital.
The governor urged the organisations to continue supporting capacity development and strengthening government institutions.
Earlier, during an interactive session, the nutrition partners presented updates on their interventions across the state.
They reported a significant reduction in malnutrition cases compared with last year, attributing the progress to increased government investment, leadership and political will.
The partners commended Radda for prioritising nutrition and committing substantial resources to tackling the problem.
They also called for stronger collaboration with the state government to consolidate the gains and improve nutrition outcomes.
The organisations represented at the meeting included UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), ALIMA, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), JHPIEGO, Première Urgence Internationale (PUI), International Medical Corps (IMC) and Médecins du Monde (MDM).
Others were Helen Keller International (HKI), Nutrition International, Save the Children/CGPP and Action Against Hunger.
The governor was accompanied by the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abdulkadir Nasir Mamman; Malam Mustapha Shehu; Dr Shaimau Kabir; and other government officials.
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