CS-SUNN is in Abia—In a landmark effort to deepen nutrition advocacy and mobilize strategic action in the South-East, the Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has successfully established the Abia State Chapter of the alliance. This achievement took place during a 3-day intensive capacity-building workshop on advocacy for Workforce Nutrition (WFN) and Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF), held from 2nd to 4th April 2025 at Umuahia. The event brought together 35 participants—including government officials and civil society organizations.
The maiden CS-SUNN Abia Chapter is now home to 25 active Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), with a five-member executive team elected to lead and coordinate state-level nutrition advocacy efforts. The newly elected officers include Richard Okoro from RUDEP as State Coordinator, Precious Uzo from Premeks Cares and Development Initiative as Secretary and Onyinyechi Nwosu as Lead Advocacy from Vivacious Development Initiative. Others are Chigozie Oji from Hachple Africa as Resource Mobilization Lead and Mercy Ugonma Jimonu from Child Rights Network (CHIRN) as the Capacity Building Lead.
Click to watch an Arise News report https://youtu.be/mRC-ebl2fes on the 3-days training workshop for CSOs.
“Abia State’s has strong commitment to addressing malnutrition and the state is willing to leverage and utilize all available resources to curb malnutrition especially the alliance of CSOs that have just been formed in the state”, said Lady Magdalene Onwu, Abia State Permanent Secretary of Planning and Budget.
In the words of Nmerechi Ofeogbu, Abia State Nutrition Officer, “I am very delighted that the Abia state chapter has been established, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I am grateful that the establishment of this chapter just strengthens the work of the CSOs in the state and gives them more responsibilities in advocating nutrition activities in Abia state”.
The establishment of the Abia Chapter was not just ceremonial, it was strategic; as participants received hands-on training to equip them with the knowledge, tools, and skills to engage policymakers and drive community-based advocacy on nutrition, WorkForce Nutrition (WFN) and Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF). The workshop also provided a platform to plan future collaborative engagements including townhall meetings, regional workshops, and media advocacy sessions in line with phasing out unbranded bulk oil in Nigeria.
With the inauguration of the Abia State Chapter, CS-SUNN now has presence in 30 states plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)—a significant expansion achieved within the last decade. This continued growth underscores CS-SUNN’s unwavering commitment to building a unified national voice for improved nutrition.
Plans are actively underway to expand the alliance’s footprint to all 36 states and the FCT, ensuring no geopolitical zone in Nigeria is left behind in the alliance’s collective pursuit of food and nutrition security. This milestone represents not only increased civil society coordination and mobilization but also a stronger platform for strategic engagement with policymakers, the media, and development partners—anchoring CS-SUNN’s role as a catalyst for nutrition transformation across Nigeria.
