The Kano State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), with support from the UK-FCDO Lafiya Programme, has organized a two-day Validation Workshop for the Tom Brown Business Case in the state.
The workshop, held on November 8 and 9, 2025, brought together key stakeholders to review, validate, and strengthen the Tom Brown Business Case a local initiative aimed at promoting the production and commercialization of Tom Brown, a nutritious, locally produced complementary food designed to combat malnutrition and support child health in Kano and beyond.
In his opening remarks, the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, emphasized the government’s commitment to improving nutrition outcomes through sustainable, locally driven solutions.
“The Tom Brown initiative aligns with our goal of reducing malnutrition and strengthening food security while empowering local producers, particularly women and youth,” he noted.
According to the DG, the Tom Brown initiative, which is meant to stimulate Kano State to locally enrich its nutritional supplement, would strengthen the capacity of DMCSA in the production of drugs and nutritional supplements.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the UK-FCDO Lafiya Programme, Abdulkadir Salisu Kabara the State Team Lead, reaffirmed the Lafiya Programme’s commitment to continue providing a catalytic support to the initiative and Kano State Government to strengthen health systems and sustainability.
“Our support for the Tom Brown Business Case underscores the Lafiya Programme’s vision to improve access to quality healthcare and nutrition through innovative public-private partnerships,” he added.
The workshop provided the platform to review, refine, and validate the Tom Brown business case by aligning ideas between PVAC, State Governments, and development partners on the business model, and investment framework; deliberate and receive for the refinement of the financial and technical aspects of the Tom Brown business case; and strengthen state-level commitment and ownership to enable implementation readiness, including potential Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements, co-financing models, and facility site selection.
The workshop presented the draft Tom Brown Business Case to stakeholders for review and validation; collect technical, operational, and policy inputs from state and partner actors to finalize business case; validate roles, responsibilities, and next steps for implementation; and, finally, build consensus on the investment structure, production model, and sustainability roadmap.
The Tom Brown Business Case is part of a broader effort to improve nutrition outcomes through production of fortified complementary food, aimed at preventing malnutrition among vulnerable children and women, while stimulating local agricultural and manufacturing value chains.
The initiative represents a key step towards building nutrition resilience through local production of affordable, nutrient-rich complementary foods. It leverages locally available grains and legumes, integrates smallholder farmers, and fosters private-sector investment in food fortification and manufacturing.
