From Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to providing leadership in nutrition financing, multisectoral coordination, and sustainable health interventions as stakeholders gathered in Kaduna for the Women in Power Conference 2026.
The conference, convened by the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission in collaboration with Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), brought together women leaders, policymakers, development partners, civil society organizations, and community advocates to advance the nutrition agenda.
Declaring the event open, the Honorable Commissioner of the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission welcomed the Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, as the Special Guest of Honor, along with other distinguished guests and participants. He stressed that nutrition is not merely a health-sector concern but fundamentally an investment in human capital, education, and economic productivity.
According to him, the Planning and Budget Commission has an important responsibility to ensure that nutrition priorities are reflected in the state’s development planning and budgeting processes, noting that the nutritional well-being of women and children has far-reaching implications for the next generation.
He said the Nutrition Champions initiative provides an opportunity to bring together respected women leaders who can use their voices and platforms to advocate for improved outcomes, greater investment, and stronger commitment to addressing anemia and malnutrition, while commending CS-SUNN for demonstrating the value of government-civil society partnerships.
Speaking as a Nutrition Champion and Special Guest of Honor, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, expressed profound humility and gratitude for the recognition bestowed upon her and other women leaders, describing it as a call to service rather than a personal trophy.
“We receive this recognition with gratitude, and do not receive it as a personal trophy. We receive it as a call to service, and as a reminder that leadership is not measured by the titles we carry, but by the lives we touch,” Dr. Balarabe said, while conveying the warm felicitations of Governor Uba Sani, CON, and assuring that the administration will continue to provide leadership in nutrition and related health activities.
The Deputy Governor noted that during the June 2026 Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Week, Kaduna State recorded 82% vitamin A supplementation coverage and 79% coverage for mid-upper arm circumference screening, while in 2025, 30,089 children across the 23 local government areas were treated for severe acute malnutrition through the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition program.
She said these achievements demonstrate what is possible when government, communities, development partners, health workers, and civil society work together. However, she cautioned that progress must not be lost, as every malnourished child represents a life at risk.
Dr. Balarabe highlighted the new Kaduna State 2026–2030 Food and Nutrition Policy and Strategic Plan as an opportunity to consolidate gains and ensure that nutrition remains firmly integrated into planning, budgeting, and implementation, stressing that good policies require predictable resources, accountability, and measurable outcomes to which Governor Uba Sani has committed.
She added that placing women at the center of the conversation was crucial, as mothers, caregivers, women leaders, health workers, and community advocates are powerful agents of change. She pledged to continue advocating for stronger political commitment, public awareness, sustainable financing, and effective coordination in anemia prevention, exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and maternal nutrition.
Also speaking, the National Chairperson of the CS-SUNN Steering Committee, Jessica Bartholomew, said the conference was organized to recognize women champions who have shaped nutrition discussions in Kaduna, commending Governor Uba Sani for his drive, which has helped reduce stunting by 7% to 8% over the past five years.
“That is why today we are crowning our women champions—women who had ensured that those commitments were made, women who had driven policies, strategies, and ensured full implementation of nutrition interventions in Kaduna State. We are giving them a new mantle to ensure women have a voice in decision-making and are aware of the dangers of anemia,” Bartholomew said.
On her part, the National President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Dr. Zainab Kwaru Muhammad Idris, who was among those honored, described the recognition as a surprise and a privilege after more than a decade of work on women’s and children’s nutrition. She thanked the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, CS-SUNN, and the Kaduna State Government for the opportunity to contribute to nutrition policy documents and programs, including the Nurturing Care Framework.
Assessing Kaduna’s nutrition scorecard, Dr. Idris said the state has become a place to be and to learn, given its significant government investments supported by partners including the World Bank, UNICEF, Alive & Thrive, CS-SUNN, and Save the Children. She expressed optimism that current improvements over the 2018 statistics will be even better in the next survey.
The event ended with a renewed collective commitment to action, with organizers expressing hope that the Nutrition Champions will become effective advocates for nutrition financing, anemia prevention, improved access to services, and stronger community engagement across Kaduna State.
