Vice President Kashim Shettima has announced plans to accelerate the development of a National Food and Nutrition Bill aimed at protecting nutrition funding, strengthening accountability and ensuring that interventions to combat malnutrition continue across successive administrations.
Shettima disclosed this on Wednesday at the Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he called for stronger collaboration among federal, state and local governments to address malnutrition and improve food security.
The proposed legislation is expected to provide a stronger legal framework for Nigeria’s nutrition programmes, particularly the Federal Government’s Nutrition 774 Initiative, which brings together the three tiers of government to coordinate interventions at the community level.
The Vice President said the establishment of nutrition committees in 32 State Houses of Assembly and more than 450 local governments had created an opportunity to strengthen the country’s legislative and institutional response to malnutrition.
“We are convinced that, with nutrition committees in 32 state assemblies, there is no better time for us to accelerate the development of a National Food and Nutrition Bill and the advancement of a federal, state and local compact to protect financing and enforce accountability beyond administrations,” he said.
Nigeria’s $26 Million Nutrition Commitment Unlocks $52 Million
Shettima disclosed that Nigeria’s $26 million commitment to the Child Nutrition Fund had attracted matching support, bringing the total funding unlocked to $52 million.
He added that 21 states had contributed $6.3 million since 2023 towards the procurement of supplies for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.
According to him, the proposed Presidential Nutrition Investment Fund would provide additional catalytic financing, while the Nutrition Financing Subcommittee was working to mobilise more domestic resources for nutrition programmes.
The Vice President stressed that government spending on nutrition must be linked to measurable improvements in the health and development of children.
“We can only claim that our budget fulfils its purpose when it nourishes a child,” he said.
He added that the government was strengthening accountability mechanisms, including scorecards and systems designed to connect public expenditure with tangible nutrition outcomes.
Nigeria Targets Reduction in Child Stunting
The Vice President said Nigeria’s National Policy on Food and Nutrition 2026–2035 had established targets to reduce the country’s child stunting rate to 32 per cent by 2029, 28 per cent by 2032 and 25 per cent by 2035.
He noted that approximately 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five were affected by stunting, while undernutrition was estimated to cost the country $56 billion annually.
Shettima said the scale of the challenge required urgent action because malnutrition affects not only children’s physical growth but also their cognitive development, educational outcomes and future productivity.
“We act to protect learning. We act to preserve earnings. We act to project productivity,” he said.
Under the Nutrition 774 Initiative, local government councils are expected to serve as the primary units for planning, financing and accountability, with governors and council chairpersons leading implementation in their respective jurisdictions.
Shettima said the Federal Government was working with states to develop costed plans for priority councils, bringing together health, agriculture, social protection, water, sanitation, hygiene and education services to improve outcomes for mothers and children.
Government Engages Private Sector on Affordable Nutritious Food
The Vice President also highlighted efforts to involve private-sector operators, including food vendors, small and medium-sized enterprises, manufacturers, financiers and regulators, in improving access to nutritious and affordable food.
He said the government’s Private Sector Engagement Framework was designed to strengthen participation across the food value chain.
Shettima added that the government was working with industry stakeholders and regulators to improve compliance with food fortification requirements covering salt, flour, edible oil and sugar.
Members of the Nigerian delegation also pledged to strengthen the country’s nutrition value chain through increased investment in technology, financing, education and food systems.
Ethiopia Shares Experience in Tackling Malnutrition
Earlier, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, who declared the forum open, said the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and Ethiopia could help shape Africa’s development trajectory.
He welcomed Nigeria’s interest in Ethiopia’s experience, noting that his country had placed food and nutrition at the centre of its development agenda.
Tiruneh said tackling malnutrition required sustained political leadership, adequate financing and accountability mechanisms capable of tracking implementation and results.
He disclosed that more than 100,000 children in Ethiopia had been protected from malnutrition through community mobilisation and improvements in the nutritional value of the food they consumed.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Mekdes Daba, said the exchange focused on child malnutrition, particularly Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration, a national initiative aimed at ending child stunting by 2030.
Daba stressed that adequate nutrition during the early years of life was essential for physical development, learning and economic productivity.
“Stunting affects far more than a child’s physical growth. Poor nutrition can limit brain development, weaken school performance, reduce future earnings and slow national economic progress,” she said.
She described investment in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life as one of the most important investments a country could make.
The minister explained that Ethiopia’s approach was based on the recognition that malnutrition could not be eliminated through the efforts of a single ministry or sector.
Nigeria, Ethiopia Seek Stronger Economic Cooperation
On the sidelines of the forum, Shettima and Tiruneh held a bilateral meeting to review relations between Nigeria and Ethiopia and explore opportunities for expanded cooperation in trade, investment, food security, aviation and security.
Tiruneh conveyed Ethiopia’s condolences to Nigeria over the recent Ondo air crash and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
He also welcomed progress on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement signed by both countries, called for the convening of the Nigeria-Ethiopia Joint Commission and commended growing private-sector cooperation, including investment by the Dangote Group in Ethiopia.
In his response, Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening relations with Ethiopia, particularly in agriculture, investment, economic development and security.
He commended Ethiopia’s progress in agriculture and domestic value addition, while emphasising the importance of expanding intra-African investment under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Vice President said Nigeria and Ethiopia, as two of Africa’s most populous countries, had a responsibility to use their economic potential, resources and strategic positions to advance the continent’s development.
Shettima also said both countries would work towards a joint statement outlining continued cooperation on nutrition.
“Nigeria and Ethiopia owe Africa an example worthy of its children,” he said.
The Nigerian delegation included the governors of Jigawa, Zamfara, Osun and Abia states, alongside ministers responsible for health, agriculture, budget and economic planning, water resources and sanitation, and education.
Other participants included officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the Office of the Vice President and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria.
The proposed National Food and Nutrition Bill is expected to strengthen the institutional framework for Nigeria’s nutrition interventions, with the government seeking to secure sustainable financing and improve accountability as it pursues its child stunting reduction targets.
