The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has handed over 11,580 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to the Gombe State Government to support the treatment of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
The Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, disclosed this during the handover ceremony, where she commended the state government for providing a counterpart fund of five hundred million naira for nutrition interventions in 2025.
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Dr Rafique explained that the Child Nutrition Fund matched the state government’s contribution with an additional five hundred million naira, bringing the total funding to one billion naira to support life-saving nutrition interventions and improve access to therapeutic food for malnourished children.
She urged Mama2Mama and Fathers for Good Health groups to intensify community sensitisation to ensure parents and caregivers understand that RUTF is specifically designed for treating children with severe acute malnutrition and must not be diverted or used for other purposes.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office also commended the state government for establishing a committee to prevent the diversion, abuse and misuse of humanitarian supplies.
She stressed the importance of effective monitoring and accountability mechanisms to ensure the therapeutic food reaches the intended beneficiaries.
The Gombe State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Professor Bertha Abdu, appreciated UNICEF for its continued support to the state, particularly interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of women and children.
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Also speaking, the Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Habu Dahiru, said adequate nutrition was essential for raising children who are physically healthy and mentally sound.
He explained that the ministry was producing locally developed nutritious food in large quantities to complement UNICEF’s efforts to address malnutrition.
Dahiru added that the ministry was collaborating with the North-East Development Commission to expand its production facility to make the locally produced nutritious food available in Gombe and neighbouring states.
He expressed the ministry’s readiness to partner with UNICEF and other development partners to increase production and address moderate malnutrition.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Micah Sunday, described UNICEF as a reliable development partner whose interventions had continued to support children’s healthy growth and development in the state.
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He said the therapeutic food would help improve the health and development of malnourished children, enabling them to grow into healthy and productive members of society.
The Gombe State Government assured that the distribution of the RUTF would be closely monitored to ensure the supplies reach children suffering from severe acute malnutrition across the state.