Vice President Kashim Shettima says the Federal Government will accelerate work on a National Food and Nutrition Bill aimed at protecting nutrition funding and strengthening accountability beyond individual administrations.
Shettima made this known at the Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he said the proposed legislation would strengthen the government’s Nutrition 774 Initiative and deepen collaboration among the federal, state and local governments in tackling malnutrition.
He said the framework would support a unified response beginning at the community level, with nutrition committees already established in 32 state Houses of Assembly and more than 450 local government areas.
Shettima also disclosed that Nigeria’s 26-million-dollar commitment to the Child Nutrition Fund had attracted matching support, bringing the total to 52 million dollars.
He added that 21 states had contributed 6.3 million dollars since 2023 towards supplies for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.
The Vice President said the proposed Presidential Nutrition Investment Fund would provide catalytic financing, while the Nutrition Financing Subcommittee would work to mobilise additional domestic resources.
He stressed that government spending on nutrition must translate into measurable improvements in children’s health, with stronger monitoring systems, scorecards and domestic financing being developed to track outcomes.
According to Shettima, Nigeria’s National Policy on Food and Nutrition 2026–2035 targets a reduction in the national stunting rate from its current level to 32 per cent by 2029, 28 per cent by 2032 and 25 per cent by 2035.
He said the urgency was underscored by the estimated 40 per cent stunting rate among Nigerian children under five, with undernutrition costing the economy about 56 billion dollars annually.
The Vice President said the Nutrition 774 Initiative provides a common framework for all three tiers of government, with state governors and local government chairpersons expected to drive implementation at the grassroots.
He added that the Federal Government was working with states on costed nutrition plans while integrating health, agriculture, social protection, water, sanitation, hygiene and education interventions around mothers and children.
The government is also engaging food producers, small businesses, manufacturers, financiers and regulators to improve access to affordable and nutritious food.
Shettima said efforts were also underway to strengthen compliance with food fortification standards for products including salt, flour, edible oil and sugar.
Nigeria and Ethiopia are expected to develop a joint statement outlining continued cooperation on nutrition, following the leadership exchange.
Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, said tackling malnutrition required sustained political commitment, adequate financing and accountability at every level of government.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr Mekdes Daba, said the discussions focused on child malnutrition and Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration, the country’s national commitment to ending child stunting by 2030.
She said the effects of poor nutrition extend beyond childhood health, affecting cognitive development, education, future earnings and economic productivity.
The Nigerian delegation, which included governors and federal ministers, pledged stronger investment in technology, financing, education and food systems to improve the country’s nutrition value chain.
On the sidelines of the forum, Shettima and Tiruneh also held bilateral talks on strengthening relations between Nigeria and Ethiopia, with discussions covering trade, investment, food security, aviation and security.
Tiruneh expressed condolences to Nigeria over the recent Ondo air crash and welcomed progress on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement between both countries.
He also called for the convening of the Nigeria-Ethiopia Joint Commission and highlighted growing private-sector cooperation, including investment by the Dangote Group in Ethiopia.
Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations and strengthening the Joint Commission framework, while calling for greater intra-African investment under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He said Nigeria and Ethiopia, as two of Africa’s most populous countries, have a strategic responsibility to leverage their populations, resources and economic positions to advance development across the continent.
