In Zamfara State, a transformative initiative to empower Civil Society to tackle one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health challenges—malnutrition is underway. With support and funding from UNICEF, the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) organized a Two-Day Capacity-Building Workshop on Advocacy Strategy and Budget Tracking for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Zamfara State. This is part of a broader effort to increase domestic financing for nutrition, enhance policy implementation, and ensure that no child suffers from preventable malnutrition due to inadequate resources.
Malnutrition remains a critical issue in Nigeria despite efforts, interventions to address this. According to the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey, 11 million children under five (33%) are stunted, 4 million (12%) are wasted, and 21 million (62%) suffer from anemia. Without strategic action, these alarming statistics will continue to threaten food and nutrition security, overall wellbeing, national productivity and human capital development.
To drive this change, CS-SUNN, with UNICEF’s support, is equipping civil society organizations and government stakeholders with the skills and knowledge needed to advocate for increased nutrition financing and policy implementation. Through targeted capacity-building on advocacy strategy and budget tracking, stakeholders’ ability to push for higher budget allocations, timely fund releases, and accountability in nutrition spending will be strengthened. A key focus is expanding the number of states implementing six months paid maternity leave from three to seven and increasing Nigeria’s nutrition budget from $2 million to $7 million by 2026. These efforts are crucial to ensuring sustainable investments in nutrition, addressing malnutrition at its root, and securing a healthier future for Nigerian children.
Empowering CSOs for Nutrition Advocacy in Zamfara
In line with this 23 CSOs and key government stakeholders in Zamfara were empowered with advocacy and budget-tracking skills to ensure nutrition financing is prioritized in government budgets and effectively utilized to improve child and maternal nutrition outcomes.
The workshop equipped participants with the knowledge and skills to drive policy implementation and secure increased budget allocations for nutrition. Among the participants were key policymakers, including the Director of Nutrition from the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA) and the Deputy Director of Planning from the State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.
The training sessions extensively covered nutrition financing in Nigeria, best practices in budget tracking, and strategic advocacy techniques. By the end of the workshop, participants developed actionable advocacy plans to push for increased budgetary allocations and effective policy implementation in Zamfara State.
Impact and Achievements:
- Strengthened Advocacy Capacity: Participants gained hands-on training in advocacy strategy and budget tracking, enabling them to push for increased nutrition financing at both state and national levels.
- More Trainers, More Impact: The number of Trainers-of-Trainers (ToT) experts on Advocacy Strategy and Budget Tracking within Zamfara State increased, ensuring sustainability of advocacy efforts.
- Commitment from Key Stakeholders: Government representatives pledged to prioritize nutrition in state budgets and ensure timely releases of funds for nutrition programs.
“We are very appreciative of CS-SUNN for this two-day workshop. Although this is what the state government should be doing, CS-SUNN stepping in is a game-changer. We are excited because we know this will lead to improved nutrition outcomes in the state through increased budget releases for interventions.” – Abdulrasak Bashur, Director of Nutrition, State Primary Health Care Development Board.
“We have learned so much about nutrition and the current situation in Zamfara State. This training has opened our eyes to the gaps in nutrition financing, and we are now equipped to advocate more effectively and track budget releases for improved nutrition outcomes.” – Binta Aliyu Kiliya, Annur Women Association.
“This workshop is a critical step in ensuring that stakeholders are well-equipped with knowledge on Zamfara’s nutrition situation. At the Ministry of Budget and Planning, we are committed to ensuring that nutrition is well captured in the budget and that funds are properly utilized.” – Lawal Shehu Safir, Deputy Director of Planning, Ministry of Budget and Planning.
Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead:
Investing in knowledge and strengthening the capacity of CSOs and government officials ensures sustained advocacy efforts and improved nutrition financing. This approach ensures that key stakeholders are well-equipped to drive impactful, long-term change in the nutrition sector. The Zamfara workshop is a crucial step in Nigeria’s journey towards improved nutrition financing. Through strategic collaborations between CS-SUNN and UNICEF, we are seeing real progress in breaking barriers to malnutrition and securing a healthier future for Nigerian children and mothers. Though the fight against malnutrition is far from over, with empowered advocates/civil society, committed policymakers, and increased budget allocations, we are one step closer to a Nigeria where every child has access to good nutrition and the opportunity to thrive.
