Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has reopened Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centres across all 44 local government areas to combat severe malnutrition affecting more than 17,000 children.
The move, announced on Saturday by the governor’s spokesperson Sanusi Bature, marks the first comprehensive intervention in eight years after the programme was abandoned, contributing to the state’s high stunting rate of 51.9 per cent.
Speaking at the relaunch of the Takai Local Government treatment centre, Yusuf condemned the neglect of child nutrition and revealed that the state had paid N500 million as counterpart funding to UNICEF. The funds will procure nearly 13,000 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for treating malnourished children.
The governor also pledged to scale up the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Week programme, which will provide Vitamin A for children under five and micronutrient supplements for pregnant women.
UNICEF’s Kano Field Office Health Manager, Dr. Serekeberehan Seyoum Deres, commended Kano as Nigeria’s top contributor to the Child Nutrition Fund and urged the government to plan a second health week in December 2025, approve six months’ paid maternity leave, and ensure adequate deworming tablets for children.
