The Kwara State Government advised development partners in Ilorin on Friday regarding the need for a coordinated and multisectoral approach to nutrition programmes. The Executive Secretary of the Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Nusirat Elelu, made this call during the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria sustainability meeting with key stakeholders from local government areas.

She reiterated the pivotal role of adequate nutrition in the growth, development, and overall wellbeing of children. Ms Elelu emphasised that good nutrition was fundamental to building a healthy and productive society and noted that the future of the state was closely tied to the health and nutrition status of its children.

She further affirmed the commitment of the government to improving nutrition outcomes and strengthening primary healthcare delivery at the grassroots level. According to her, the meeting served as a strategic platform for stakeholders to review progress, address challenges, and explore sustainable pathways for advancing nutrition interventions.

She noted that the intervention was aimed at improving maternal, infant, and child health outcomes across the 16 LGAs of Kwara State.

The executive secretary stressed the need for a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach to nutrition programming, calling on stakeholders to ensure that no child was left behind.

She highlighted the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, describing breast milk as the most complete and natural source of nutrition for newborns, providing essential nutrients, boosting immunity, and protecting infants from preventable illnesses.

Also speaking, the director of Primary Health Care Systems, Michael Oguntoye, highlighted the importance of advocacy, strategic engagement, and effective coordination in mobilising resources to support nutrition programmes.

"The nutrition champions can play a critical role in influencing budgetary allocations and attracting partner support.

"They can also ensure that available resources are efficiently utilised to deliver measurable nutrition outcomes at the grassroots," he said.

In a keynote lecture, Adenike Jimoh from the College of Medicine at Bingham University, Jos, described the first 1,000 days of a baby's life as crucial.

She stated that it was the most critical period for a child's physical growth, brain development, and long-term health outcomes.

Ms Jimoh emphasised that nutrition during pregnancy and the first two years of life had lasting implications on learning capacity, productivity, and overall quality of life.

(NAN)