FCT Approves 2026/2027 Nutrition Plan, Launches Oversight Committee To Curb Aid Diversion

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ABUJA – The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has adopted the 2026/2027 Annual Work Plan on Food and Nutrition and inaugurated a State Aid Diversion Committee as part of renewed efforts to strengthen governance, transparency and accountability in the fight against malnutrition.

The resolutions were reached at the end of the Second Quarter Meeting and Capacity Building Workshop of the FCT Committee on Food and Nutrition, held from July 28 to 30, 2026, with participants drawn from FCT Secretariats, Departments and Agencies, Area Councils, development partners, civil society organisations and other nutrition stakeholders.

The three-day workshop was organised by the Department of Food and Nutrition under the Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and Public-Private Partnership Secretariat (EPRGPPPS) in collaboration with UNICEF through the US Department of State-supported programme, Preventing Malnutrition During the First 1,000 Days of Life.

Declaring the workshop open, the Mandate Secretary of the EPRGPPPS and Chairman of the Committee, Arc. Ubokutom Nyah, reaffirmed the FCTA’s commitment to prioritising nutrition as a critical driver of public health, human capital development and sustainable growth.

Nyah, who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Uba Bala, said the inauguration of the FCT State Aid Diversion Committee was aimed at ensuring greater transparency in the management of nutrition resources and commodities.

The Acting Executive Secretary of the FCT Primary Health Care Board, Dr Dan Gadzama, described malnutrition as one of the territory’s most pressing public health challenges, arguing that effective nutrition interventions could address more than 70 per cent of health-related problems in the FCT.

He emphasised that nutrition was not solely a health issue but one that required coordinated action across agriculture, economic planning, education, social development and other sectors, while commending UNICEF and development partners for their continued support.

Director of Food and Nutrition at the EPRGPPPS, Celina Gaza-Oluwafemi, said the workshop was designed to strengthen the technical capacity of stakeholders and provide practical tools for improving programme implementation, enhancing accountability and mobilising sustainable financing for nutrition interventions across the territory.

In a goodwill message, UNICEF representative Dr Chizoba Steve-Edemba urged the FCTA to take advantage of the Child Nutrition Fund to scale up nutrition programmes and expand partnerships with the private sector and development agencies.

Participants reviewed the nutrition situation in the FCT and identified inadequate financing, weak nutrition information systems, poor dietary practices and capacity gaps as major obstacles to improving nutrition outcomes. They called for stronger political commitment, increased investment and more coordinated action across sectors.

The meeting also highlighted the need to revitalise the FCT Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, strengthen nutrition-sensitive interventions such as water, sanitation and hygiene services, and improve public awareness through strategic communication and advocacy.

At the conclusion of the workshop, the committee formally adopted the 2026/2027 Annual Work Plan and resolved to institutionalise nutrition structures across relevant FCT agencies, operationalise the Child Nutrition Fund within the territory, improve accountability in the management of nutrition commodities and deepen collaboration among the health, agriculture, education and water sectors.

In his closing remarks, Acting Permanent Secretary Uba Bala urged participants to translate the resolutions of the workshop into concrete actions within their respective institutions. He called for sustained multi-sectoral collaboration, data-driven planning and stronger accountability mechanisms, reaffirming the FCTA’s commitment to implementing the National Policy on Food and Nutrition in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and improving nutrition outcomes for women, children and other vulnerable groups.