Abuja — The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on nutrition for the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).
The agreement was signed in Abuja by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, who represented the Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq.
He described the MoU as another milestone for the NHGSFP.
Sani-Gwarzo said the approval of the policy on NHGSFP by the Federal Executive Council and the signing of the MoU on nutrition was a step forward towards realising the objectives of the school feeding programme in Nigeria.
He said: "I am really happy that this is happening at a time when this country is transiting to a new administration. They will require this kind of documentation to build upon because people will change, leadership will change, but once the documentation is right, we are on the right cause.
"The MoU is not just going to be a symbolic signing but a strategic one. The ministry will continue to work towards achieving its separate, but yet mutual objectives of building resilience, and empowering people."
Sani-Gwarzo also stressed that another strategic importance of the MoU is that the GAIN would go down in history as one of the first organisation to partner the government in institutionalising the process.
In his welcome remarks, the National Coordinator National Social Investment Programme, Dr. Umar Bindir, said the NHGSFP under National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) is gradually maturing and it is attracting partnership internationally, which is an index that the ministry was doing the right thing.
Earlier, the Country Director of GAIN, Dr. David Mamewalen, congratulated the entire team of the ministry on the passage of the policy, which really sets it all for further engagement and future investment.
He stated that the signing of the MoU would help to set the stage on how the ministry and the GAIN can collaborate better over the coming months and year.