US PARTNERS WITH FG TO END HUNGER, STARVATION

A United States-backed initiative, Operation End Starvation, is seeking a direct partnership with the Federal Government to expand nutrition support for vulnerable children in Nigeria.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in Abuja while leading a delegation from the organisation and health agencies to seek collaboration with First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

The proposed partnership would strengthen efforts to address acute child malnutrition, with attention also given to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

The organisation’s Chief Executive Officer, Williams Holdsworth Moore, described Nigeria as a priority for its work, citing the country’s commitment and the capacity of its health leadership.

Moore said the initiative receives support from the United States Government and international philanthropists. He outlined an ambition to mobilise substantial funding to prevent starvation-related child deaths across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria.

He added that the organisation hoped to demonstrate the impact of large-scale investment through direct government partnerships over the next two years.

Pate said Nigeria already had programmes in place to tackle malnutrition, including the National Community Food Bank Programme, implemented in partnership with the Office of the First Lady.

The proposed collaboration would build on these efforts to reach more people in need of nutrition support.