The Niger State Planning Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has commenced the implementation of the N-25 Initiative, a framework aimed at strengthening nutrition security and improving maternal and child health outcomes across the state’s 25 Local Government Areas.
The initiative was unveiled in Minna during a sensitisation and orientation meeting attended by LGA chairmen, Directors of Personnel Management, health officials and other key stakeholders. It is designed to translate national nutrition priorities into coordinated, sustainable and measurable interventions at the grassroots level.
The N-25 Initiative is aligned with the broader N-774 national framework and seeks to promote stronger local government ownership and multi-sectoral collaboration in addressing malnutrition and improving access to quality nutrition services.
Speaking at the meeting, the Executive Director of the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency stressed the importance of nutrition services to effective primary healthcare delivery, noting that efforts must focus on both preventing and treating malnutrition.
He said tackling malnutrition requires a coordinated approach involving the health, agriculture, education and other relevant sectors to ensure improved outcomes for women and children.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Planning Commission, Hajiya Aisha T. Usman, described the initiative as an urgent call to action. She urged the 25 LGA chairmen to demonstrate strong political commitment by supporting nutrition focal persons and strengthening grassroots structures responsible for delivering nutrition interventions.
The UNICEF Nutrition State Facilitator, Aisha Jibril Kallamu, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting grassroots mobilisation and strengthening a functional multi-sectoral framework for nutrition service delivery across the state.
The orientation identified four key pillars for the successful implementation of the initiative: clear operational goals, effective translation of strategies into budgets and service delivery schedules, data-driven accountability through regular scorecards, and continuous monitoring and review meetings.
The initiative is expected to deepen political ownership, strengthen institutional capacity and improve collaboration among relevant sectors, with particular attention to pregnant women, mothers and children under five during the critical first 1,000 days of life.
By placing local governments at the centre of implementation, the N-25 Initiative is also expected to drive sustainable nutrition interventions and contribute to stronger community health outcomes across Niger State.
