Katsina State Governor, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, has pledged to sustain investment in healthcare and nutrition programmes following reports of a significant reduction in malnutrition cases across the state.
The governor gave the assurance on Sunday, October 25, 2026, when he received a delegation of nutrition partners at the Government House in Katsina. The delegation was led by Hajiya Ruqqaya Hamza, Executive Director of the Katsina State Development Management Board (KATDMB).
Radda emphasised that nutrition would remain a major priority of his administration, describing it as a vital part of human capital development. He urged development partners to continue providing technical assistance and institutional support to strengthen the state’s healthcare and nutrition systems.
The governor also called on development organisations operating in the state to adhere to the government’s recruitment policy by giving qualified Katsina indigenes priority when implementing their programmes.
According to him, strengthening local expertise and integrating competent professionals into government institutions are essential to ensuring that development initiatives deliver lasting results.
He highlighted the Katsina State Development Management Board as an example of effective collaboration between the government and development partners, noting that several of its staff members had benefited from capacity-building programmes supported by the organisations.
Radda further encouraged the partners to increase their investment in human capital development to improve local institutions and enhance service delivery.
During the meeting, representatives of the nutrition organisations briefed the governor on their ongoing interventions across Katsina State.
They reported a considerable decline in malnutrition cases compared with the previous year, attributing the progress to increased government funding, effective leadership and sustained political commitment to improving nutrition.
The partners praised the state government for placing nutrition high on its development agenda and allocating significant resources to the sector.
They also stressed the importance of stronger collaboration between the government and development organisations to preserve the progress achieved and further improve nutrition outcomes across the state.
Representatives of UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), ALIMA, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), JHPIEGO, Première Urgence Internationale (PUI), International Medical Corps (IMC), Médecins du Monde (MDM), Helen Keller International (HKI), Nutrition International, Save the Children/CGPP and Action Against Hunger attended the meeting.
