Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia
The Civil Society-Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has organised a two-day capacity building training for journalists on Micro-nutrient Supplement Coverage.
The two-day capacity building training with the theme:
“Strengthening Media Capacity for Improved Visibility of Anaemia Reduction through Scale-up of MMS in Nigeria”, was held on February 28 – 29, 2024 at Petrus Hotel Royale, Abuja.
In a communique issued at the end of the two-day capacity building training, state governments were urged to commit to counterpart
funding for MMS via the UNICEF Child Nutrition Fund.
The communique also appealed to government to include MMS in the essential medicines list.
The communique continued in parts: “MMS should be included in recurring budget allocations and procurement plans at
federal/state/local government levels.
“The media should intensify partnership in the fight
against anaemia in pregnant women. Journalists should link IFAS with MMS in their
reportage to educate people on the transition.”
It added that stories from the media practitioners on MMS should be compelling and solutions-based, even as journalists were encouraged to focus more on writing human-angle stories on MMS.
“The meeting therefore calls on governments at all levels to prioritise MMS funding to reduce anaemia among pregnant women. Journalists/CSOs should be intentional on MMS
campaigns using multi-media platforms to disseminate their reports”, the communique maintained.
