Dangote Foundation pledges $100million to tackle malnutrition in Nigeria
The managing Director and CEO of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera
Youssoufou has disclosed that the foundation will spend $100million on
tackling malnutrition in the worst affected parts of Nigeria over the
next five years. She made the disclosure at the just concluded Global
Nutrition Summit 2017, held in Milan, Italy which was attended by
government officials, international agencies, foundations, civil society
organisations and businesses.
According to Youssoufou, the Dangote Foundation has made significant
social investments in health, education, economic empowerment and
disaster relief since 1993. She said: “He is now becoming the strongest
voice for nutritional leadership nationally and on the Continent of
Africa.
By making this unprecedented $100 million commitment, the Aliko
Dangote Foundation is on a mission to reduce the prevalence of under
nutrition by 60 percent in the most needy areas of Nigeria, specifically
the North East and North West." She noted that Africa is the hardest
hit continent in terms of malnutrition and Nigeria has the highest
numbers of malnourished children. She said: “Almost half of the one
million children, who die before the age of five every year in Nigeria,
die of malnutrition as the underlying cause.
Without the proper nutrients during the first 1,000 days of life
starting from conception up to their second birthday, children are less
likely to survive childhood diseases such as malaria and pneumonia, and
are less likely to escape poverty as adults. They become physically and
cognitively stunted, a fate that has befallen 11 million of Nigeria’s
children under five.
“Nigeria’s high malnutrition rate is undermining progress towards
improving child health and survival and putting the brakes on economic
development and by investing in nutrition, we aim to directly improve
the lives of Nigerian families and to empower our citizens to reach
their full potential."
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