The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge, SAN, OON, has expressed profound delight and bestowed his royal blessing on the forthcoming 5th Annual Clinical Nutrition Conference of the West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN), describing the initiative as a timely and critical intervention in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The revered monarch, who radiated visible excitement during a recent palace visit by the WASPEN leadership team, is expected to lead an array of distinguished dignitaries to the prestigious gathering scheduled to hold from June 22 to 25, 2026, at the Federal Medical Centre Asaba, Delta State.
The conference, themed *“Sustainable Clinical Nutrition Services: Ensuring Access, Safety, and Collaboration,”* seeks to address the often-overlooked challenge of hospital malnutrition by strengthening resilient nutrition systems capable of delivering evidence-based clinical care.
Commending the vision and commitment of WASPEN, the monarch noted that malnutrition among hospitalized patients remains a serious but largely neglected healthcare crisis in Nigeria. According to him, tackling the challenge is essential to ensuring holistic patient recovery and improving healthcare outcomes across the country.
Receiving the delegation at his palace, the Asagba expressed immense pride that an event of such international relevance and scientific significance would be hosted in Delta State. He particularly praised the Founder and President of WASPEN, Teresa Isichei Pounds, for channeling her global expertise toward advancing healthcare development in her homeland.
“It is highly gratifying to see our Asaba sons and daughters excelling globally and giving back to their communities in impactful ways,” the monarch stated. “Your work demonstrates that through unity, vision, and purpose, our people can bring global excellence home.”
Further reaffirming his support, the royal father assured the WASPEN team of the palace’s full cooperation toward ensuring the success of the conference, emphasizing that such initiatives contribute directly to community development, healthcare advancement, and capacity building.
As a call to collective action, the Asagba urged stakeholders, institutional bodies, corporate organizations, and the Delta State Government to collaborate with WASPEN toward eradicating clinical malnutrition and strengthening nutrition-focused healthcare delivery systems in Nigeria.
Looking ahead to the conference, His Royal Majesty encouraged healthcare professionals, nutritionists, policymakers, researchers, students, and members of the public to participate actively in the summit. He noted that hosting the event in Asaba presents a rare and invaluable opportunity for local healthcare providers to interact with global experts, upgrade their competencies, and bridge the gap between local practices and international standards.
The conference is expected to attract renowned international scholars and experts, including Zandraetta Tims-Cook from the United States, who will speak on integrating nutrition into HIV programmes, and Mario Ferreyra, who is expected to present findings on enteroperitoneal tuberculosis.
The monarch expressed confidence that these global engagements would significantly deepen local competencies in critical healthcare areas such as pediatric nutrition assessment, clinical nutrition protocols, patient safety, and quality assurance systems.
Speaking during the visit, Dr. Teresa Isichei Pounds reiterated her unwavering commitment to healthcare advancement in Nigeria and appealed to the Asagba to leverage his royal office in mobilizing wider institutional and governmental support for the conference.
She explained that the summit would provide a strategic platform for experts, policymakers, and healthcare practitioners to explore practical approaches to clinical nutrition management, including macro- and micronutrient calculations, access routes for nutrition support, quality assurance protocols, clinical outcome monitoring, and patient safety measures in nutrition therapy delivery.
According to her, the conference is designed to strengthen hospital nutrition systems by ensuring that nutrition support becomes safe, accessible, evidence-based, and fully integrated into routine patient care across healthcare institutions.
Beyond the scientific sessions, Dr. Pounds disclosed that the conference would feature a major community outreach programme on Tuesday, June 23, involving nutrition screening exercises across Asaba communities. She noted that the outreach reflects WASPEN’s commitment to translating scientific knowledge into direct community impact.
She also urged healthcare professionals and institutions to register early for the highly practical pre-conference workshops, emphasizing that participation slots remain limited due to the intensive hands-on nature of the training sessions.
Distinguished dignitaries expected at the conference include Sheriff Francis Oborevwori, Executive Governor of Delta State, who is scheduled to declare the conference open, and Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The Asagba of Asaba will attend as Royal Father of the Day, while other notable personalities expected include Paul Osogbe Enebeli, DSc, Chairman of the Conference; Ladi-Bako Aiyegbusi, mni, Keynote Speaker; Joseph Onojaeme; and Omo Ekenaem, Acting Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of FMC Asaba.
Concluding her remarks, Dr. Pounds described clinical nutrition as a critical pillar of public health and patient-centered care, stressing the need for sustained collaboration among governments, healthcare institutions, and professional bodies to integrate nutrition practices into the foundation of healthcare delivery systems across West Africa.
She formally invited healthcare professionals from across the sub-region to participate in what she described as the premier platform for advancing clinical nutrition practice, fostering interprofessional collaboration, and improving patient outcomes across the region.
Registration fees for the conference have been pegged at ₦25,000 for the pre-conference training, ₦35,000 for the main conference, while students will pay a subsidized fee of ₦15,000.
