CS-SUNN CALLS FOR STRONGER OVERSIGHT OF NUTRITION FUNDING

Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, CS-SUNN, has called on lawmakers to strengthen legislative oversight of nutrition financing to ensure accountability and proper utilisation of allocated funds.

The National Programme Manager of CS-SUNN, Ridwan Awosanya, made the call during a strategic media engagement forum on domestic nutrition financing in Kano.

Awosanya said inadequate accountability, delayed releases and insufficient funding were major challenges affecting the implementation of nutrition programmes in the country.

He urged the House Committees on Food and Nutrition to intensify their oversight functions by monitoring funds appropriated for nutrition and ensuring their effective utilisation.

The programme manager advocated that at least ninety-five per cent of approved nutrition funds should be released, while a minimum of ninety per cent should be utilised to improve nutrition outcomes and combat malnutrition.

He also called on the media and other stakeholders to sustain advocacy for increased budgetary allocations, timely releases and accountability in nutrition financing.

The Kano State Coordinator of CS-SUNN, Salmanu Muhammad, said the organisation would continue engaging relevant stakeholders to ensure the timely release and proper utilisation of funds allocated to nutrition programmes.