The Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has pledged to undertake research to “promote maternal new-born and child health at all levels in Nigeria.” In presentations at the scientific conference organised by Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria in Makurdi, the coalition of civil society groups dedicated to scaling up nutrition committed to support the domestication of the National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition across the country.
They will also work to establish local working groups on scaling up nutrition at all levels in Nigeria, according to a communique released at the end of the conference.
The groups spoke of “deep concern over increasing percentage of stunted children under age of 5 across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.
The National Demographic Health Survey indicates stunting is as low as 16% in the south east and as high as 55% in the north west.
The groups said they recognised that “nutrition remains a smart investment to accelerate key economic progress in the country, and reduce stunting of children.” It was supported by members of Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH)—Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON).
