Following the federal government’s decision to adopt a new action plan on nutrition geared towards improving the nutritional needs of all Nigerians, stakeholders in Adamawa state, comprising of agricultural experts, nutritionists, media, academicians, non-governmental organisation among others have embraced the initiative.
The action plan is through SBBC strategy to improve behavioural outcomes in the state.
They unanimously adopted this new strategy at a four-day workshop on domestification of the National Social and Behavioural Change Communication Strategy (SBCC) for nutrition programmes in Adamawa, organised in collaboration with UNICEF to equip participants with necessary skills to effectively promote nutrition- related behavioural change in the state.
Speaking at the workshop, the lead facilitator of the training, Dr. Steve Daniel, a lecturer with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, said the essence of the programme was for each state and its stakeholders to bring their own peculiar behavioural analysis and reality of their nutritional situation to be included into the national document for implementation .
He further added that the workshop is also aim at bringing stakeholders together to brainstorm and collectively look at their own nutritional situation in terms of what is happening in their state, their nutritional social behaviour, identify the gaps and challenges faced and find out workable solutions by themselves on how to improve the nutritional social behaviour across all circles in their state.
According to him, “this new strategy is as a result of the Federal Government decision through the Federal ministry of Health and other development partners to develop and adopt a 4 to 5 years new action plan on nutrition to be implemented in the country to fast track nutritional needs of all Nigerians across all circles.”
Speaking earlier ,the Executive Chairman Adamawa state primary health care development agency , Dr. Saidu Bashir, commended UNICEF and other development partners for their commitments towards improving the health and other needs of the people of Adamawa.
He reiterated the commitment of the state government in working with UNICEF and other partners to improve the living conditions of the people of Adamawa state.