To address the high rate of malnutrition in the West African region, the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) had called on countries to fast track implementations of biofortication programmes in the region
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The Representative of WAHO Mongbo Yves stated this at the first coordination meeting of the Regional Alliance for Food Fortification organized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Catholic Relief Service (CRS) and WAHO.

He urged countries to domesticate the resolutions adopted by the Regional body during their meeting in Cotonou in March so as to fast track biofortication of food in the region.

He said although they have observed that countries in the region are doing alot in terms of food biofortication, giving an instance of The Gambia that has moved from the consumption of 10 percent of Iodized salt to 770/percent and also Nigeria has also lowered tax on premixes for food biofortication

He further stressed the need to set up control bodies to ensure biofortified foods are in compliance with the norms.
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The Regional Technical Adviser for Catholic Relief Services for the West African region said the body has been working with WAHO and ECOWAS to achieve large scale food fortification to address the deficiency of micro nutrients in the region adding Nigeria has been a model country in that regard as it has passed legislation making it mandatory to fortify our vegetable oil, sugar wheat and maize flour with Vitamin A.

He said the meeting was to ensure that that the Regional Alliance for Food Fortification formed in Cotonou in March becomes operational and see to it that the alliance is efficient to tackle micro nutrients deficiency in the West African region.

He further revealed that they have partnered with the private sector to ensure that basic household items such as sugar, maize, salt, flour, vegetable oil are fortified with some minimum amount of micronutrients. This will ensure that 30-50 percent of the nutrients needed comes from the fortified staples

The chairman of the Regional Alliance for Food Fortification Fred Chiazor noted that Nigeria has witnessed tremendous progress in the fight against micro nutrients deficiencies,, following the mandatory fortification of selected food including wheat flour, maize flour, sugar. and vegetable oil which started in 2002.
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He stated that the National Fortification Alliance (NFA) was established in 2004 under the chairmanship of then the National Planning Commission (now Ministry Finance, Budget, and Natiimal Planning) to mobilize relevant stakeholders for effective implementation of food fortification program in Nigeria.

The Ministry of Health represented Urugba John a Director in the Nutrition department noted that for over two decades Nigeria has been fortifying it’s foods as it has achieved 98 percent iodiazation of the salt and it’s going going gradually in fortifications of rice

On rising cases of malnutrition, he said lack of information, poverty, insecurity, high cost of food are causes of malnutrition in the country.

He stressed that the aim of the meeting is to further deploy fortified foods across the West African region to address the deficiencies adding that government also need to create awareness and sensitive the public to know the importance of consuming fortified and biofortified food.
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