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We’ve Spent $20m On 120,000 Families In North-East Nigeria—UNICEF

Published

8 years ago

30/11/2016

Modupe Gbadeyanka

unicef-boko-haram-families

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Over 120,000 families in conflict-hit northeast Nigeria have been reached so-far with food and nutrition support in a $20 million (£16.1m) multi-year joint project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed.

UNICEF further disclosed that it was working together with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Action Against Hunger (AAH) to give families in Borno and Yobe States greater access to food and to protect children from malnutrition

It estimated that more than 4.4 million people are struggling in crisis and emergency food security levels in the two states, worst-hit by the Boko Haram conflict.

“We are building a system not only to treat children for malnutrition, but to help families who have been devastated by the conflict to prevent their children from becoming malnourished in the future”, said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria said in a statement.

It explained that the three-year project is being carried out in collaboration with the primary health-care agencies of the government of Nigeria and Borno and Yobe States.

It is providing vitamin and mineral supplements for mothers and children, funding for families with severely malnourished children to buy nutritious food, treatment for children with diarrhoea, and advice for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers on how they can provide the best possible nutrition for their children, the statement said.

With high levels of malnutrition even before the start of the Boko Haram conflict, the two most-affected states have seen food insecurity and malnutrition rates rise dramatically as a result of the fighting. In an already poor area, agriculture and markets have been disrupted by the fighting, which intensified towards the end of last year. The majority of food and seed stocks have been depleted, looted or destroyed, and many of the 1.8 million people who have fled their homes because of the conflict have had to leave behind what little stocks they had. Displacement has left many families with no means of earning a living, UNICEF said.

Although this is the harvest season, when more food would normally be available, an estimated 55,000 people in Borno state are living in famine-like conditions. That number is predicted to double by the middle of next year, making longer-term interventions such as the DFID-funded project all the more important.

The project, which began in April and runs through March 2019, has already treated 30,000 children for severe acute malnutrition.

More than 100,000 pregnant women have received iron folate; 60,000 children have been treated for diarrhoea, which can cause malnutrition or make it worse; 350,000 children have been given vitamin A supplements, boosting their immune systems and helping to protect them from illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles, which are frequently fatal in the area; and 40,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have been helped with information on the best ways to feed young children in the circumstances in which they live.

An additional part of the project is a system of providing funds directly to families with the lowest incomes to enable them to buy nutritious food to prevent relapse after children have been treated for malnutrition. So far, more than 7,000 families have received this cash assistance.

“Access to cash has proven effective in helping internally displaced families to have a rich and varied diet, ensuring good nutrition for their children as well as enabling them to meet basic needs”, said Sory Ouane, WFP Nigeria’s Representative and Country Director.

Working with Nigerian government authorities, UNICEF is administering the nutrition aspects of the programme in Borno state, which has the heaviest burden of malnutrition, while WFP is managing the cash transfers and AAH is managing both aspects of the project in Yobe state.

“The fact that this is a multi-year commitment enables us not only to save children’s lives today, but to provide families and the most vulnerable young children with protection from malnutrition in the future as well”, said UNICEF Representative Fall.

In the three northeast Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, an estimated 400,000 children under the age of five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. It is an extremely dangerous condition, making a child nine times more likely to die from an illness than a properly-nourished child. UNICEF, AAH and other partners working in these three states have so far this year managed to treat more than 130,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, including those in the DFID-funded project.

Related Topics:boko haram displaced families UNICEF

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Modupe Gbadeyanka

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

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British Council Hosts Going Global Africa Conference in Abuja

Published

2 hours ago

13/01/2025

Business Post Contributor

The British Council, a UK-based organization dedicated to fostering cultural relations and educational opportunities, hosted the Going Global Africa Conference 2024.

The event, which took place from November 26 to 28 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, was themed Building Sustainable and Relevant Tertiary Education Institutions and Systems in Africa.

It brought together policymakers, academics, industry leaders, and youth advocates to address critical issues in tertiary education across the continent.

At the opening session, which spotlighted youth aspirations and actionable strategies to bridge the gap between tertiary education and workforce demands, the Minister of Education, Mr Olatunji Alausa, unveiled the Nigerian Educational Sector Renewal initiative, a six-pillar agenda aimed at modernising the education system.

The session, titled The Future is Now: Realising the Vision of Africa’s Youth, was used by him to emphasised the importance of STEM and vocational training.

According to him, one of his takeaways from the opening plenary session is starting up student-led ventures, a good initiative the government would take on.

Throughout the three-day event, critical sessions explored the role of partnerships and innovation in strengthening tertiary education.

Another session titled Maximising Impact through Tertiary Education Partnerships, chaired by Prof. Sir Steve Smith, examined frameworks for sustainable education partnerships.

Also, at another session, Transitioning to the World of Work, led by Femi Taiwo, Founding Partner of F.I.T. Africa, delved into career-readiness strategies and the systems required to prepare graduates for industry demands.

Contributors such as Prof. Colin Riordan from the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Ms. Nadia Waggie from the University of Cape Town enriched these discussions with their expertise.

The conference also included a variety of focused sessions and panels, such as Learning Labs on technology integration, employability, and international research partnerships. Discussions highlighted access to education for marginalized groups, including women and persons with disabilities, with sessions such as Disability Inclusion in Tertiary Education led by Prof. Tracy Bhamra and featuring disability rights advocates.

Business Post reports that the conference coincided with the British Council’s 80th anniversary in Nigeria, celebrating decades of impactful partnerships in education.

“Hosting this conference in Sub-Saharan Africa underscores our commitment to fostering sustainable partnerships and innovation in education,” the Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at the British Council, Lucy Pearson, remarked.

The event concluded with a renewed commitment to bridging the skills gap in Africa’s tertiary education.

The Acting Country Director for the council, Chilufya Besa, said, “By bringing together industry stakeholders, we have made significant progress in aligning education with workforce needs.”

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Thailand Gifts Nigeria 32-Tonne Rice Shipment to Tackle Food Crisis

Published

5 hours ago

13/01/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria has received a 32-tonne shipment of rice from Thailand as part of foreign relief to tackle escalating hunger and food insecurity.

The shipment, the first of its kind in a decade, has arrived in Lagos, according to DUCAT, the logistics company that facilitated its delivery.

The rice from Thailand was exported following Nigeria’s decision to implement a tariff moratorium on wheat, corn, rice, and other food crops last year, DUCAT revealed.

Although the duty waiver was introduced, purchases have largely been cautious, driven by concerns about its potentially harmful impact on local producers.

“Nigeria has been working hard to find solutions to broaden and strengthen its food supply accessibility,” DUCAT Chief Executive Officer, Mr Adrian Beciri said in a statement.

Several months ago, Nigeria unveiled a set of measures to combat soaring food inflation, which is rising at its fastest rate in three decades.

According to the last inflation update, food inflation reached 39.93 per cent year-on-year in November from 39.16 per cent the previous month in October 2024, caused by price rises for staples such as rice, maize, bread, potatoes and cooking oil.

Inflation quickened sharply in the second half of 2023 after President Bola Tinubu devalued the Naira and cut petrol and electricity subsidies to try to lift economic growth and shore up public finances.

Inflation has still not let up as it remained at 34 per cent as of November.

Many of the policies have failed to materialise including a 180-day window to allow duty-free imports of wheat, corn, and other critical food crops— a move promised would crash food prices.

A survey of market prices by Business Post indicates that food prices remained elevated during the last Christmas period.