An NGO, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP), have trained the members of the Kaduna State
By Sani Idris Abdulrahman
An NGO, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP), have trained the members of the Kaduna State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN) on the upgraded Performance Management System (PMS).
The primary objective of the training was to equip the SCFN members with the requisite skills to effectively utilise the upgraded PMS.
This is to improve planning, monitoring, and evaluation of nutrition-related interventions across the state.
The training was also part of broader efforts to institutionalise a results-driven approach in the implementation of food and nutrition programs in Kaduna State.
At the end of the two-day training on Wednesday in Kaduna, Mr Bashir Muhammad, Chairman of SCFN, said the state has been doing a lot in terms of nutrition activities.
Muhammad, who doubles as the Permanent Secretary of the State Planning and Budget Commission, said that the committee has been doing great in terms of bringing activities and programs tailored toward the reduction of malnutrition.
“The committee is also working towards implementing a lot of activities to reduce malnutrition,”he said
The chairman, therefore, said that the new PMS tool would expose the SCFN members to the nitty-gritty about what activities have been able to be done.
The goal, he said, was to improve the reporting system and enhance the state’s ability to track progress and to improve the nutritional status of the people in Kaduna State.Hope Ikani, Programme Officer at CS-SUNN Abuja, said the PMS has been a Tool SCFN had been using from time past.
She explained that the system was initially manual, but it was digitised in 2020 and needed improvements to make it user-friendly.
Ikani stated that CS-SUNN supported the FMBEP to ensure the digitisation of the PMS.
The programme officer also explained that the training taught the SCFN members how to log in, use the PMS, fill in questionnaires, and analyse answers on the dashboard.
She emphasied that the essence of the PMS was for monitoring, evaluation, and improved planning.
“The tool is very informative and helps inform advocacy and targeted support,” Ikani said.Also, Mr Alaka Oladimeji, Chief IT Officer at the FMBEP, said the upgraded PMS would enable the state to track progress and make data-driven decisions.
He equally said that the new system would support the state’s efforts to reduce malnutrition and improve nutritional outcomes.
Oladimeji stated the FMBEP’s commitment to supporting the state in its efforts to improve nutrition.
NAN reports that the SCFN draws its membership across the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Education, the media and NAFDAC.
They also include development partners such as Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, CS-SUNN, Muslim World League, Alive and Thrive, GAIN, among others.
NAN also reports that the PMS is a digital platform designed to enhance the effectiveness, accountability, and transparency of government programs.
The upgraded version of the PMS integrates advanced features that support real-time data capture, automated analytics, and seamless collaboration across sectors.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)