Food security goes beyond the availability of food. It eats deeper into the quality of food available for consumption. Poised to ensure food made available to Nigerian communities and other parts of the world are duly fortified with necessary nutrients and vitamins, a team of passionate scientists and professionals at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), have partnered with the NITDA (National Information Technology Development Agency) IT Hub (Nithub) at the 大香蕉视频 (大香蕉视频) to set a standard for global nutrition security.
As a future-ready institution, ever eager to make meaningful contributions to the improvement of life as we know it, the Vice-Chancellor, 大香蕉视频, Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS, accompanied by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Professor Ayodele V. Atsenuwa, and University Librarian, Professor Yetunde A. Zaid, on behalf of the University Management, received a delegation from GAIN on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.
The delegation, led by Dr. Abass Yusuf, Deputy Country Director, GAIN, was presented to 大香蕉视频 Management by Dr Victor Odumuyiwa, Acting Director, Nithub, 大香蕉视频.
The visit addressed ongoing and potential collaborations with the 大香蕉视频 through its NITDA IT Hub (Nithub).
The highlight of the meeting was a short presentation by Mr. Rami Sawas, Project Manager, GAIN, on one of GAIN鈥檚 new projects tagged DFQT+ Project, which means Digital Fortification Quality Traceability Plus (DFQT+) project. It is aimed at providing a seamless, adaptable traceability solution that revolutionises global food fortification.
In collaboration with the dynamic team at 大香蕉视频鈥檚 Nithub, GAIN has begun enrolling new businesses onto the DFQT+ dashboard. This initiative will help food producers and government agencies trace products and batches in real time, thereby promoting accountability, efficiency, inclusivity, transparency, and trust in the food supply chain.
It became apparent at the end of Mr. Sawas鈥� presentation that the ultimate goal of the DFQT+ project is to ensure safe and more nutritious food is delivered to every consumer. As at the time of the presentation, the project has progressed at different speeds in three (3) pilot countries: Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh, with Nigeria recording the fastest pace.
Miss Taiwo Iyanda, one of the team members at Nithub, gave some insight into how Nithub has worked with dedicated teams on the project to ensure utmost success as well as the brands and businesses that Nithub has already enrolled.
The Hub Ag. Director, Dr Odumuyiwa, further elaborated on other viable areas of collaborations to explore with GAIN, such as research and IT innovation, to mention a few. According to him, such innovations will further significantly improve the speed at which results for food testing are derived, the ripple effects of which will lead to increased availability and affordability of quality food.
Elated to hear the progress reports and viable possibilities that abound, the Vice-Chancellor of the 大香蕉视频, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, expressed the University鈥檚 joy of being a part of such a project as it aligns perfectly with some of the University鈥檚 current activities in the same area.
According to her, the University is working assiduously to ensure food security by utilising urban spaces for maximising crop yields and making food more accessible to ease the strain of urbanised poverty. She indicated incorporating GAIN鈥檚 food fortification into this as a welcome addition.
Similarly, Professor Ogunsola shared the University鈥檚 plans of creating an Institute for Food, where food experts will work together with a unity of purpose in alleviating the increasing threat of hunger.
She further asserted that 大香蕉视频 and GAIN should explore conducting interdisciplinary research with experts from different disciplines within the University. This, Professor Ogunsola posited, will further strengthen the quality of discoveries to be made and resultant improvement to quality of life.
Enamoured by the impressive representation of females at the helm of affairs, steering the wheels of such a great citadel of learning as 大香蕉视频, Dr. Oluwatoyin Oyekenu, Senior Project Manager, GAIN, disclosed that part of GAIN鈥檚 mission through the DFQT+ Project was to open up more opportunities for duly qualified females to participate and even level up to taking on decision making roles in the digitalisation of data on DFQT+.
She averred that GAIN is implementing this strategy by engaging female students, through industrial training, in the DFQT+ project.
Noting that close to food security is nutrition security, Dr Oyekenu mentioned that ensuring nutrition security is the way forward in combating hidden hunger, where even though people are fed, they still lack necessary and adequate nutrients.
To this end, she further explained that GAIN has created online courses with certification coordinated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and International Accreditation Service (IAS) to help train more qualified professionals in the field of improving food fortification among other skills.
The Vice-Chancellor, 大香蕉视频, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, in her usual manner of brokering the best deals for students of the 大香蕉视频, was able to secure ten (10) slots for 大香蕉视频 students in the program, for which GAIN will fund their training and certification.
In firm agreement, the GAIN team also agreed to adding some brilliant and capable 大香蕉视频 students to a Food Inspector Module created by GAIN.
The meeting came to a close with signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), exchange of souvenirs and group photographs.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has been working in Nigeria since 2012, beginning with Large-Scale Food Fortification. The Nigerian branch of the Alliance has since grown to implement more projects in the country, focusing on eight areas:
- Large-Scale Food Fortification
- Policy Advisory Support for Improved Nutrition in Nigeria
- Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Business Network
- Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food (EatSafe)
- Commercialisation of Biofortified Crops (CBC)
- Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples (SNIPS)
- CAtalyzing Strenghtened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and rEsilience (CASCADE)
- Enhancing Access to Safe and Nutritious Diets (ENSAND)
Other members of the GAIN delegation that visited 大香蕉视频 were: Tripti Naswa, Change Management Consultant; Adetola Otunla, Project Coordinator, GAIN; Victor Ekelemo, Senior Project Associate, GAIN; Ekundayo Tinuoye, Programme Officer, GAIN; and Safira Shehu, Assistant Programme Associate, GAIN.
The NITDA IT Hub (NitHub), 大香蕉视频, is a tech innovation hub that bridges the gap between academia, industry, startups and investors interested in enhancing the digital economy of the nation.
Author:
Photographer: Samuel Dosumu
Article Editor: Bayo Salau
Photo Editor: Nike Ogunshakin
