Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has approved the release of ₦500 million as the state’s counterpart contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund, as part of renewed efforts to tackle child malnutrition and improve healthcare and other development indicators across the state.
The governor announced the approval on Sunday when the new Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in Kano, Mr. Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to him in Katsina.
Radda said the state would continue to strengthen its partnership with UNICEF, noting that years of collaboration had produced measurable results, particularly in the treatment of severe acute malnutrition among children.
He said the partnership had supported the establishment of stabilisation centres and outpatient treatment sites for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with the number of children requiring treatment at the facilities beginning to decline.
“We are not doing it for you; we are doing it for our people,” the governor told the UNICEF delegation.
Radda also pledged to include UNICEF’s request for an additional ₦1.2 billion for nutrition interventions in the state’s 2027 budget, despite financial constraints.
He said his administration would continue to prioritise programmes capable of producing measurable improvements in the lives of residents.
“When I was a student, I always aimed to be at the top, and that’s where I want to leave Katsina State indicators by the time I am leaving office,” he said.
On education, the governor disclosed that his administration had recruited more than 9,000 teachers and invested in teacher training, including a recent Training of Trainers programme involving 250 participants facilitated by a British expert.
Earlier, UNICEF Chief of Field Office Kano, Mr. Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, commended the Katsina State Government for sustaining its partnership with the organisation in healthcare, nutrition, education, sanitation, child protection and social development.
He said the collaboration had contributed to improved primary healthcare services, particularly in rural and underserved communities, while full routine immunisation coverage had more than doubled and under-five mortality had declined significantly compared with the 2018 National Demographic and Health Survey.
Ur-Rehman disclosed that Katsina was among five countries selected globally to participate in a pilot of revised World Health Organisation guidelines for preventing and managing severe wasting in children. The pilot is currently being implemented in 10 local government areas of the state.
He said lessons from Katsina would contribute to improving nutrition programming in Nigeria and provide evidence for the global response to child malnutrition.
The UNICEF official also commended Katsina for consistently contributing to the Child Nutrition Fund, which supports the procurement of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food and other essential nutrition commodities for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
He requested increased investment in nutrition, including the proposed ₦1.2 billion contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund, which UNICEF would match to procure Multiple Micronutrient Supplements for pregnant women and therapeutic food for severely wasted children under five.
Ur-Rehman congratulated Katsina on becoming Nigeria’s second state to attain Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in 2025, describing the achievement as significant given the security challenges confronting parts of the North-West.
He urged the state government to sustain investment in sanitation facilities and prevent communities from reverting to open defecation.
He also briefed Governor Radda on the Climate-Resilient Infrastructure for Basic Services II project, funded by the UK Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The project is being implemented at 14 sites in Charanchi, Mani, Dutsinma and Mashi local government areas, providing climate-resilient water and sanitation facilities in nine schools and five primary healthcare centres.
On education, the UNICEF official acknowledged state government efforts to expand access to basic education for girls, Almajiri learners, children with disabilities and other marginalised groups.
He, however, urged accelerated implementation of the Katsina State Education Sector Plan 2026–2033 to address the estimated 536,122 out-of-school children in the state.
He disclosed that birth registration coverage in Katsina had reached 68 per cent, the highest among the three states served by the UNICEF Kano Field Office.
On social protection, Ur-Rehman said more than 604,925 households had been captured in Katsina’s social register, providing a platform for identifying and supporting poor and vulnerable households.
He particularly commended the state government for appropriating ₦270 million for a SMART Nutrition Survey, describing Katsina as the first and only state in Nigeria so far to make such an appropriation.
According to him, the survey would provide reliable and timely nutrition data to identify vulnerable communities, guide resource allocation and improve interventions targeting women and children.
Ur-Rehman reaffirmed UNICEF’s readiness to support the state in implementing the Rapid SMART/SMART+ Nutrition Survey and other programmes aimed at improving the welfare of Katsina’s children and vulnerable residents.
