Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has earned international commendation and secured a £10 million support pledge from the European Union for his administration’s efforts to combat malnutrition in northwestern Nigeria.
The recognition came on Thursday at the High-Level Conference on Mobilising Against Malnutrition in the North-West, held in Abuja, where the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Mohamed Malick Fall, praised Governor Radda’s leadership and commitment to addressing child malnutrition.
“Thank you, Governor Radda, for convening us today. Your leadership is key—you unlock financing, ensure accountability, and drive action,” Fall said.
He disclosed that over three million Nigerian children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition, with two million still awaiting life-saving support. While noting that the UN and its partners have reached one million children with treatment, Fall warned that every delay “steals a child’s future.”
He called on governors across the northwest to release funds, mobilise teams, and support stabilisation centres, stressing that Nigeria already produces essential nutrition commodities locally.
Similarly, the European Union pledged £10 million to support Katsina State’s nutrition drive and announced plans to coordinate additional donations from the World Bank, World Food Programme, and other international NGOs targeting the northwest region.
In his opening remarks, Governor Radda acknowledged the malnutrition crisis and highlighted Katsina’s comprehensive response plan, which includes food security initiatives through agricultural reforms and ongoing anti-banditry operations aimed at safeguarding rural communities.
“We have accepted there is a malnutrition crisis, and all efforts are towards addressing the menace head-on,” Radda affirmed.
The Executive Secretary of the Katsina Development Management Board, Mustapha Shehu, described the conference as a “giant step” toward building a holistic partnership against malnutrition, noting that organisations made concrete commitments to support the state in food production, nutrition treatment, and health interventions.
Delivering the closing remarks, Maryam Yahaya, Director-General of the Northwest Governors Forum, presented stark data from the 2024 Northwest Nutrition Survey, revealing that 16.6% of children under five in Sokoto, 11.6% in Katsina, and 10.4% in Zamfara suffer from acute malnutrition. She added that 2.8 million children across the northwest need urgent nutrition support—a 40% increase in just two years.
“In Katsina, half of all children are stunted—too short for their age, too undernourished to learn, too weak to thrive,” Yahaya said.
The forum also announced plans to implement the Northwest Nutrition Roadmap 2025–2028, a coordinated framework for aligning states, partners, and data-driven interventions.
Meanwhile, Hon. Malik Anas, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, and Prof. Saifullahi Sani Ibrahim, Statistician-General of Katsina State, participated in the high-level conference. Both officials, who are members of the Katsina State Committee on Nutrition, contributed ideas to strengthen the state’s ongoing efforts to eliminate malnutrition.
The conference was jointly organised by the Katsina State Government and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), with support from the European Union, UNICEF Nigeria, and other development partners.
