The Federal Government and state governments have pledged to strengthen collaboration at the grassroots to improve nutrition outcomes and ensure policies translate into tangible benefits for Nigerian households.
The commitment focuses on coordinated interventions across health, education, agriculture, water, sanitation and social protection, with state and local governments expected to drive implementation within their communities.
The pledge emerged during the Nigeria–Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange in Addis Ababa, where the Nigerian delegation is led by Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
Governors and ministers attending the exchange said Ethiopia’s experience offered valuable lessons for Nigeria’s efforts to reduce malnutrition and child stunting through stronger cooperation between the federal, state and local governments.
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke said nutrition programmes should prioritise children under five and pregnant women, noting that although Nigeria had recorded some progress, more needed to be done.
“Especially for the young ones under five and, of course, pregnant women, it is very, very important. We have some success, but we can improve on it. That is why I am here, to learn from our counterparts in Ethiopia,” Adeleke said.
Abia State Governor Alex Otti said Nigeria should be open to adopting successful approaches from other countries instead of attempting to develop solutions from scratch.
“There’s nothing wrong with saying that we have not done as well. And there’s also nothing wrong in learning from those who have done it, so that you don’t go reinventing the wheel,” Otti said.
He explained that tackling malnutrition required more than ensuring food availability, as healthcare, education, agriculture, climate change and poverty reduction were interconnected.
Otti said Abia had recruited 9,469 teachers, was developing 20 smart schools and renovating more than 200 primary and secondary schools. He added that the state allocated about 20 per cent of its annual budget to education.
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal said insecurity had complicated nutrition challenges in his state, which was traditionally known for producing enough food to feed its population.
He, however, maintained that insecurity should not determine the state’s future, calling for closer alignment with federal programmes while adapting interventions to local needs.
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Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi identified Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration as a useful model for Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 Initiative, particularly its emphasis on extending programmes from national institutions to local governments, wards, communities and individual households.
Namadi said Jigawa had supplemented federal interventions with locally developed programmes, including the Masaki initiative and a Tom Brown nutrition scheme, which had trained about 600 women to prepare nutritious food for children.
Nutrition Central to Human Capital Development
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, described nutrition as fundamental to human capital development, emphasising the need for government agencies and communities to work together.
“Nutrition is key to human capital development, and it requires sectors to work together in a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” Pate said.
He said Nigeria had made progress through coordinated national programmes and community-based interventions but needed to expand and accelerate implementation.
Pate disclosed that Nigeria and Ethiopia would develop a roadmap based on lessons from the exchange, expressing confidence that sustained efforts over the next four to five years could produce significant improvements, particularly for children.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, stressed that nutrition interventions should begin during pregnancy and continue through the early stages of a child’s development.
“If we miss that period, the 2,000 days, we’ve set those children up for failure in life,” Alausa said.
He explained that the Nutrition 774 agenda was designed to extend interventions from the federal level through state and local governments to communities.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, also highlighted the relationship between nutrition, access to safe water, sanitation and agricultural productivity.
Utsev said reliable water supplies were essential for drinking, sanitation and irrigation, as well as improving food production and nutrition outcomes nationwide.
