Vice President Kashim Shettima has announced that the Federal Government will fast-track the development of a National Food and Nutrition Bill aimed at safeguarding nutrition funding and ensuring accountability beyond the lifespan of individual administrations.
Shettima made this known on Wednesday at the Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha.
He said the proposed legislation would reinforce the government’s Nutrition 774 Initiative and establish stronger cooperation among the federal, state and local governments in tackling malnutrition, particularly at the grassroots.
“We are convinced that, with nutrition committees in 32 state houses of assembly, 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.
The Vice President disclosed that Nigeria’s $26m contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund had attracted an equivalent amount in matching support, bringing the total to $52m.
He further revealed that 21 states had committed $6.3m since 2023 towards the procurement of supplies needed to prevent and treat malnutrition.
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Shettima said the proposed Presidential Nutrition Investment Fund would provide catalytic funding, while the Nutrition Financing Subcommittee was working to secure additional domestic resources.
“We can only claim that our budget fulfils its purpose when it nourishes a child,” he said.
He added that the administration was strengthening mechanisms for linking public spending with measurable nutrition results through scorecards and increased domestic funding.
According to Shettima, the National Policy on Food and Nutrition 2026–2035 has established targets for reducing Nigeria’s 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 scale of the challenge remained significant, noting that 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five were stunted and that undernutrition was estimated to cost the economy $56bn annually.
“We act to protect learning. We act to preserve earnings. We act to project productivity,” he remarked.
The Vice President also disclosed that nutrition committees had been established in more than 450 local government areas, while efforts were ongoing to improve the capacity of state councils and strengthen delivery systems at every level.
He explained that the Nutrition 774 Initiative was designed as a unified framework involving the three tiers of government, with state governors and local government chairpersons expected to oversee implementation within their jurisdictions.
“Each council, being the lowest tier of our system, is our unit of planning, financing and accountability.
“We are working with states on costed plans for priority councils, bringing health, agriculture, social protection, water, sanitation, hygiene and education to the same mother and child,” he said.
Shettima said the Federal Government was also working with food vendors, small and medium-sized businesses, manufacturers, financial institutions and regulators under its Private Sector Engagement Framework to expand access to affordable and nutritious food.
“It was also working with industry and regulators to strengthen compliance with fortification requirements for salt, flour, edible oil and sugar,” he explained.
The Vice President said Nigeria and Ethiopia would pursue a joint statement outlining continued cooperation between both countries on nutrition.
“Nigeria and Ethiopia owe Africa an example worthy of its children,” he announced.
Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, who opened the forum, said tackling malnutrition required sustained political commitment, adequate funding and accountability across all levels of government, supported by systems capable of measuring outcomes.
“Over 100,000 children in Ethiopia have been protected from malnutrition through community mobilisation and improvements in the nutritional value of the food they eat,” he said.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr Mekdes Daba, said the discussions focused on child malnutrition, particularly the Seqota Declaration, Ethiopia’s national initiative aimed at ending child stunting by 2030.
Dabs said, “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. Investing in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life is among the most important investments a country can make.”
Members of the Nigerian delegation, including governors and ministers, pledged increased investment in technology, funding, education and food systems to strengthen the country’s nutrition value chain.
The delegation included Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
Other members included the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev; and Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.
The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar; Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Muyi Aina; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwukah; and National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Bello Lawal, were also part of the delegation.
Separately, Shettima and Tiruneh met to discuss bilateral relations and opportunities for expanded cooperation in areas including trade, investment, food security, aviation and security.
During the meeting, Tiruneh expressed Ethiopia’s condolences to Nigeria over the recent Ondo air crash and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to its relationship with Nigeria, noting that both nations are among Africa’s most populous countries.
He welcomed progress on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement between the two countries, called for the Nigeria-Ethiopia Joint Commission to be convened and praised expanding private-sector ties, including the Dangote Group’s investment in Ethiopia.
Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s determination to deepen bilateral relations through the Joint Commission framework. He said both countries had a responsibility to leverage their populations, resources and strategic positions to advance Africa’s development.
He also praised Ethiopia’s progress in agriculture and domestic value addition, while calling for increased investment within Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“With global growth increasingly shifting towards Africa and the continent blessed with a young population, Nigeria and Ethiopia must provide the leadership required to unlock Africa’s enormous potential,” he said, according to the statement.