Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has pledged to sustain government investment in nutrition and healthcare after development partners reported a significant decline in malnutrition cases across the state compared with the previous year.
Radda gave the assurance on Sunday, October 25, 2026, while receiving a delegation of nutrition partners led by Hajiya Ruqqaya Hamza, Executive Director of the Katsina State Development Management Board, at the Government House in Katsina.
The meeting brought together government representatives and organisations involved in nutrition, maternal health, child welfare and related public health interventions across the state.
During the engagement, the partners presented updates on their programmes and attributed the reported reduction in malnutrition cases to increased government investment, stronger leadership and sustained political commitment to nutrition.
Although the report described the reduction as significant, it did not provide specific figures showing the number of cases recorded in the previous year compared with the current reporting period.
Radda said his administration would continue treating nutrition as a critical component of human capital development, emphasising the importance of protecting children and strengthening the healthcare systems that support vulnerable families.
He also called on development partners to maintain their technical assistance and institutional support, noting that cooperation between government agencies and development organisations remained important to sustaining progress.
The governor stressed that interventions should not only address immediate nutritional deficiencies but also strengthen the institutions, workforce and systems responsible for delivering healthcare services over the long term.
He further urged development organisations operating in Katsina to align their recruitment practices with the state’s policy of giving priority to qualified indigenes when implementing programmes.
According to the governor, employing skilled local professionals and building their capacity would help ensure that expertise developed through externally supported programmes remains available to public institutions and communities.
Radda cited the Katsina State Development Management Board as an example of collaboration between government and development partners, noting that some of its personnel had benefited from capacity-building initiatives supported by partner organisations.
He encouraged the organisations to expand their investment in human capital development so that local institutions could become better equipped to manage programmes and maintain service delivery over time.
The delegation included representatives of UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Rescue Committee, ALIMA, JHPIEGO, International Medical Corps, Save the Children and Action Against Hunger, alongside other organisations working in health and nutrition.
Their participation reflects the broad network of international and humanitarian partners involved in supporting public health interventions in Katsina, particularly programmes targeting children and other vulnerable groups.
The reported decline comes amid continuing efforts by the state government to finance treatment supplies and strengthen services for children experiencing acute malnutrition.
In September, the Katsina State Executive Council approved ₦500 million in counterpart funding for the procurement of nutrition commodities intended to support the treatment of children affected by acute malnutrition during 2026.
The funding was intended to help maintain the availability of essential supplies used in nutrition treatment programmes and reinforce the state’s response to the condition.
Katsina has also worked with UNICEF on nutrition interventions, including programmes supporting the treatment of severe wasting and the provision of essential nutritional products for vulnerable children and pregnant women.
In August, UNICEF called for an additional ₦1.2 billion investment under the Child Nutrition Fund, which would be matched by the organisation to support the procurement of multiple micronutrient supplements for pregnant women and ready-to-use therapeutic food for children experiencing severe wasting.
These interventions highlight the role of sustained funding in ensuring that health facilities have the supplies and resources required to identify and treat children facing nutritional deficiencies.
However, maintaining progress will require more than funding alone, as access to nutritious food, household income, sanitation, safe water, maternal healthcare and early treatment can all influence children’s nutritional outcomes.
Reliable data will also be important in determining the scale of improvement, identifying communities where malnutrition remains prevalent and directing resources towards families facing the greatest risks.
The state government’s continued collaboration with development partners could therefore help strengthen healthcare delivery, provided that programmes are adequately funded, monitored and adapted to the needs of local communities.
For families across Katsina, the practical measure of progress will be whether more children can access timely screening, appropriate treatment and nutritious food, while fewer households experience the consequences of severe malnutrition.
Radda’s latest pledge signals the administration’s intention to continue prioritising nutrition, with government agencies and development partners expected to maintain their cooperation as they work to improve health outcomes across the state.