The Federal Government is in talks with a United States-based organisation, Operation End Starvation (OES), for a strategic partnership to combat acute child malnutrition affecting an estimated 6.4 million children in Nigeria.
The initiative, which targets over $1 billion annually, is aimed at preventing child deaths from starvation and strengthening interventions in nutrition, maternal health and food security.
First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja when she hosted a delegation of the organisation led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.
Mrs. Tinubu assured the development partners of Nigeria’s capacity to effectively deploy the assistance, lauding the competence of the current health sector leadership.
In a statement by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady described the health team as one of the best the country has assembled.
“It’s been a delight working with Prof. Pate, Dr. Muyi, and others. I also work with the Ministry of Education and others. The manpower we have now in the ministries are wonderful,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria deserves far-reaching institutional reforms which President Bola Tinubu is implementing, and assured that any support would be judiciously utilised.
“I assure you that whatever aid you give us, this Health team would put it to good use,” she added.
Speaking earlier, Prof. Pate said the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to reduce acute child malnutrition while addressing the needs of pregnant women and nursing mothers.
He said the government has established frameworks, including the recently introduced National Community Food Bank Programme being implemented in partnership with the Office of the First Lady, which is already recording positive results across the six geopolitical zones.
Chief Executive Officer of Operation End Starvation, Williams Holdsworth Moore, said the organisation, supported by a major grant from the US Government and international philanthropists, is pursuing a global initiative to end child starvation.
He said Nigeria has been identified as a priority country for demonstrating the impact of large-scale investments through direct government collaboration.
“The foundation is impressed by Nigeria’s focus on combating acute malnutrition and we are seeking partnership for this global Operation End Starvation program,” Moore said, adding that the group intends to channel substantial resources towards ending starvation in sub-Saharan Africa within the next two years.
