The government of Bauchi State in Nigeria has announced plans to increase its contributions to the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) from ₦300 million to ₦1 billion in 2026, UNICEF has confirmed.
The announcement followed a meeting between Governor Bala Mohammed and UNICEF officials, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, the agency’s Chief of Field Office in Bauchi, told reporters on Wednesday.
The CNF, a basket fund administered by UNICEF on behalf of donor partners, is designed to improve child nutrition and combat malnutrition, which remains a leading public health challenge in Nigeria.
Rafique said addressing malnutrition required more than aid delivery, stressing that “behavioural change, beginning from pregnancy through a child’s first two years of life, is critical.”
She commended Bauchi communities for grassroots interventions, citing Ganjuwa and Misau councils where volunteers have been provided with bicycles to reach hard-to-access settlements. She also highlighted the roles of local groups such as Fathers for Good Health and Mama2Mama in promoting healthcare and combating open defecation.
UNICEF, she added, is awaiting the release of Bauchi’s existing ₦300 million matching funds to begin procurement processes.
Dr George Eki, UNICEF’s Social and Behavioural Change Specialist, said more than 1,600 men in 166 wards had been mobilised under the Fathers for Good Health initiative to champion family nutrition and well-being.
