The Kukah Centre (TKC), a policy research institute, has coopted religious leaders as nutrition advocates to help Nigerians navigate the economic challenges and fight malnutrition.

Fr Atta Barkindo, the Executive Director of TKC, made this known at a One-Day Strategic Dialogue on Nutrition by National Faith Influencers with the theme` `Faith Influencers Leading the Way: Transforming Nutrition for a Healthier Nigeria’’.

The dialogue was organised by The Kukah Centre, in partnership with the Sultan Foundation with support from the World Bank through the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN), on Thursday in Abuja.

The dialogue aims at tackling Nigeria’s persistent malnutrition challenges by bringing together religious leaders to champion the cause of proper nutrition through supporting the initiative of ANRiN in addressing the critical issue of malnutrition.

According to Barkindo, by engaging religious leaders to harness their influence to promote a culture of nutrition and health, Nigeria will become a more prosperous nation.

“Religious leaders have a significant influence on their congregations, making them ideal advocates for promoting positive change.

“There is need for change in value system, so we want to educate Nigerians on the proper way to channel their resources wisely and feed correctly.

“Sometimes, the issue is not lack of resources but improper management of finances and the value system of people, the choice of food matters a lot .”

Ms Anna Swanta, the Project Officer of TKC, said that the ANRIN initiative commenced in 2018 to tackle the challenge of malnutrition by expanding access to quality, cost- effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under five.

Swanta said that the ANRIN project aimed to scale up nutrition interventions while strengthening the capacity of both federal and state governments to plan, finance, and implement these programs effectively.

“This is facilitated through Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) that incentivises the provision of nutrition-sensitive antenatal care.

“This strategic dialogue sought to leverage the influence of faith leaders to promote better nutritional practices and advocate for policy improvements aimed at addressing Nigeria’s alarming malnutrition rates.

“Child malnutrition is a critical issue in Nigeria, with 37 per cent of children under five experiencing stunted growth due to poor nutrition and inadequate breastfeeding.

“The problem becomes even more alarming as children grow older, with stunting rates rising to 47 per cent among those aged 24-35 months.”

Swanta said that this therefore, underscored the urgent need for targeted nutrition interventions to protect the health and future of Nigerian children.

“The choice of faith leaders stems from the fact that they hold a unique position of influence and trust, making them pivotal in driving change within their communities.

“This initiative provides a platform for them to advocate for better maternal and child nutrition, raise awareness about the importance of healthy feeding practices, and support broader efforts to reduce malnutrition rates.”

Swanta said that by leveraging the influence of religious leaders, the initiative aimed to achieve better health outcomes for Nigerian women and children and the achievement of sustainable improvements in Nigeria’s nutrition landscape.

Ms Asabe  Ndahi, Project Manager ,TKC ,said that some of the dialogue emphasised  the relevance of leadership from the perspective of fatherhood and religion.

Ndahi added that it also has to do with the role of experienced mothers in cascading wisdom and knowledge to younger generations, value re-orientation, and accountability.

She said that the initiative encouraged the participants to become advocates for nutrition and better health practices in pregnancy, breastfeeding, and child development.

“The conversations led by faith influencers and nutrition experts were centred on pregnancy health, myths, breastfeeding, hygiene, and complementary feeding including statistical analysis and intervention pathways.

“The faith influencers will launch new advocacy campaigns at both state and local government levels to raise awareness and push for concrete action on malnutrition.”

Ndahi said that TKC would provide continued support to participants to ensure that the strategies developed during the dialogue are implemented effectively.

Additionally, she said the dialogue’s outcomes would be shared with government agencies and development partners to encourage broader collaboration.(NAN)