Research has further shown that the causes of malnutrition are multi-faceted: hunger, food insecurity; poor feeding and care practices, poverty and poor sanitation being some of the major contributors to this condition.

Government of Sierra Leone in 2010 according to Dr. Wurie started the free health service that focused on drugs, supporting pregnant women and under-five children which is 50 percent of the whole gain required.

Dr. Wurie maintained that the drugs were supplied by DfID for free through the years, citing that President Bio’s government put a stop to it and in 2018 offered to pay 10 percent of the cost; 30 percent in 2019 and will be paying 50 percent for all free health care drugs for the country.

“That will address 50 percent of the problem and we will start to address the other 50 percent of the problem and that is scaling up nutrition,” Dr. Wurie said.

He added that the first 1,000 days of childhood is critical to the life of the baby, stating further that, with weak malnutrition you will have underweight children; and children with low vitamin A and low iron.

Dr. Wurie noted that they now know that there seems to be synergy between urbanization and malnutrition, adding that they have difficulty in ensuring they provide the right food and diet wherever there are urban slums.

Giving his keynote address Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh said children in the urban areas are suffering more from malnutrition as a result of rapid urbanization.

The Office of the Vice President according to Dr. Juldeh Jalloh over the years served as the coordination hub for improving nutrition in the country.

He maintained that the plan is to provide a pathway in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 2 which is to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition.