Beyond Talk : CASCADE Nigeria’s Action Plan for Better Nutrition Governance

In an effort to enhance accountability and responsiveness in the delivery of Food and Nutrition Services, CASCADE Nigeria recently conducted stakeholder engagements in Nasarawa, Jigawa, and Kebbi States from February 21st to March 6th, 2024. The aim? To fortify Quality Improvement (QI) systems.

The team is dedicated to mainstreaming nutrition through adopting and implementing the Maternal, Perinatal Child Death Surveillance and Response (MPCDSR) and Quality of Care (QOC) guidelines.

Collaborating closely with the Ministry of Health’s Policy Implementation Agency, the Primary Health Care Development Agencies in the implementing states, CASCADE Nigeria is strengthening existing Quality Improvement frameworks at various levels—state, local government, and community. This involves the establishment of Technical Working Groups for Quality of Care, Facility-Based QI teams, Community-Based QI teams, and Quarterly TWG Meetings. These initiatives represent an embedded accountability mechanism within the health system geared towards enhancing supportive supervision and data flow, monitoring, mainly focusing on nutrition indicators. The data collected will be utilized to inform decision-making processes for nutrition services.

Nutrition Advocacy through Quarterly Learning Briefs

CASCADE Nigeria is creating Quarterly Quality Improvement Learning Briefs to share crucial information with policymakers through advocacy. With the Nigerian government incorporating nutrition into Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH+Nutrition) services, the project team aims to use this integration to prioritize nutrition in essential service areas, improving access for Women of Reproductive Age and Children under 5.
 

Author

Isaac Ishaya Audu
CASCADE Country Coordinator | Nigeria
© 2024