Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving maternal nutrition, child health and overall human capital development in the state.
The governor made the pledge while receiving a delegation from Nutrition International led by its Country Director, Osita Okwonkwo, during a courtesy visit at the Executive Council Chamber of Government House, Bauchi.
Mohammed expressed appreciation to the Government of Canada and other development partners for their continued support to Bauchi State in critical sectors including health, agriculture, education and youth development.
He described nutrition as a key pillar of human capital development, stressing that a well-nourished child has greater chances of academic success and meaningful contribution to society.
The governor disclosed that his administration had continued to invest heavily in the health sector, surpassing the 15 per cent funding benchmark recommended under the Abuja Declaration.
He added that the state government had constructed over 1,000 healthcare facilities, including the upgrade of 323 primary healthcare centres to improve access to healthcare services across rural communities.
Earlier, the Country Director of Nutrition International, Osita Okwonkwo, commended Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, for what he described as visible development across the state, particularly in road infrastructure and investments in the health sector.
Okwonkwo explained that Nutrition International is a global organisation that has, for more than three decades, been working to improve nutrition and health outcomes for women, adolescents and children.
He disclosed that Bauchi State served as a pilot location for the Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS) implementation research carried out in Alkaleri, Ganjuwa and Ningi Local Government Areas, aimed at strengthening maternal nutrition through antenatal care services.
According to him, the research recorded encouraging results, including increased uptake of micronutrient supplements among pregnant women and improved pregnancy outcomes.
He added that the tools and programme materials developed during the research have since been adopted by the Federal Ministry of Health for nationwide implementation.
Okwonkwo assured that Nutrition International would continue to support Bauchi State in scaling up maternal and child nutrition interventions through the training of health workers, strengthening supply chains and improving service delivery across health facilities.
