Vice President Kashim Shettima has announced plans by the Federal Government to accelerate the development of a National Food and Nutrition Bill aimed at strengthening nutrition financing and ensuring accountability beyond the lifespan of any administration.
Shettima disclosed this during the Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where government officials and development partners discussed strategies for addressing malnutrition and improving food systems.
According to the Vice President, the proposed legislation will provide legal backing for Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 Initiative and strengthen cooperation among federal, state and local governments in addressing nutrition challenges across the country.
“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,” Shettima said.
He revealed that Nigeria’s commitment of $26 million to the Child Nutrition Fund attracted matching support, unlocking a total of $52 million for nutrition-related interventions. He added that since 2023, 21 states have contributed about $6.3 million towards programmes designed to prevent and treat malnutrition.
The Vice President noted that the government is also proposing a Presidential Nutrition Investment Fund to provide catalytic financing for nutrition programmes, while a Nutrition Financing Subcommittee is working to mobilise additional domestic resources.
Nigeria’s National Policy on Food and Nutrition 2026–2035 targets a reduction in child stunting from current levels to 32 per cent by 2029, 28 per cent by 2032 and 25 per cent by 2035. Current data indicate that about 40 per cent of Nigerian children under the age of five suffer from stunted growth, while undernutrition costs the country an estimated $56 billion annually.
To address the challenge, nutrition committees have already been established in more than 450 local government areas, while the Nutrition 774 Initiative seeks to provide a unified framework for action across all levels of government.
Shettima said Nigeria and Ethiopia would continue to strengthen cooperation on nutrition through a joint framework that promotes knowledge sharing, financing and accountability. Participants at the forum also stressed the importance of sustained political commitment, investment in food systems and improved public awareness to combat malnutrition.
