Mirian Gom 
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umar Radda.
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Katsina State Government has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to combat severe child malnutrition, announcing the establishment of a local Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) factory and the recruitment of more than 2,300 health workers across primary healthcare facilities.
Governor Dikko Radda disclosed the plans Thursday while addressing the High-Level Conference on Mobilising Against Malnutrition in Northwest Nigeria in Abuja.
Radda said the move follows alarming findings by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which exposed widespread malnutrition across Katsina and neighbouring states.
“When the MSF report came out, people thought we would deny it. Instead, we decided to confront it and turn it into a catalyst for change,” Governor Radda said.
A multi-sectoral committee was subsequently established to diagnose the drivers of malnutrition, including poverty, limited dietary diversity, poor child-feeding practices, and access barriers.
The planned RUTF factory, he said, will serve dual purposes — ensuring constant therapeutic food supply for treatment programmes while stimulating local job creation.
“This step guarantees sustainable access to therapeutic foods while creating jobs for our youths.”
The governor also confirmed the approval of 2,377 new primary healthcare workers, alongside 600 personnel already deployed to secondary health facilities. The state recorded 87% health budget performance in 2024 and contributed ₦1 billion to the Children’s Nutrition Fund with UNICEF.
To cushion economic hardship, Katsina has distributed 90,000 bags of grains to vulnerable families and is considering six months’ maternity leave to improve infant feeding outcomes.
Radda urged Northwest governors, traditional institutions, and development partners to scale collective action.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Koko Maxwella 