FG Targets 25% Child Stunting Rate by 2035 Through Nutrition Reforms

News in Brief:

— Vice President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria will accelerate work on a National Food and Nutrition Bill to protect funding, strengthen accountability and sustain interventions.

— Nigeria’s nutrition policy targets reducing child stunting to 25 per cent by 2035, as the government pursues stronger domestic financing and expands collaboration with Ethiopia.

The Federal Government announces plans to accelerate the development of a National Food and Nutrition Bill to protect funding for nutrition programmes, strengthen accountability and ensure interventions continue across successive administrations.

Vice President Kashim Shettima made the revelation at the Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He said the proposed legislation would reinforce the government’s Nutrition 774 Initiative, which provides a framework for coordinated action across the three tiers of government, with implementation beginning at the community level.

Shettima noted that 32 state Houses of Assembly and more than 450 local governments had established nutrition committees. This reach creates an opportunity to strengthen the country’s legislative and institutional response.

Nigeria Sets Child Stunting Targets for 2035

The proposed bill forms part of broader efforts to implement Nigeria’s National Policy on Food and Nutrition 2026–2035. The aim is to reduce child stunting to 32 per cent by 2029, 28 per cent by 2032 and 25 per cent by 2035.

Shettima said the Nutrition 774 Initiative would help align government interventions in health, agriculture, social protection, water, sanitation, hygiene and education around the needs of mothers and children.

“Each council, being the lowest tier of our system, is our unit of planning, financing and accountability,” he said.

Government Mobilises Funding and Private-Sector Support

The Vice President disclosed that Nigeria’s $26 million commitment to the Child Nutrition Fund attracted matching support, bringing the total to $52 million. He added that 21 states had contributed $6.3 million since 2023 for supplies that prevent and treat malnutrition.

The proposed Presidential Nutrition Investment Fund is expected to provide catalytic financing, while the Nutrition Financing Subcommittee works to mobilise additional domestic resources.

The government is also using scorecards and other accountability measures to strengthen the link between public expenditure and measurable nutrition outcomes.

Beyond public funding, Shettima said the government was also engaging food vendors, small and medium-sized enterprises, manufacturers, financiers and regulators through its Private Sector Engagement Framework.

Nigeria and Ethiopia Seek Wider Economic Cooperation

On the sidelines of the forum, Vice President Shettima and Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, held bilateral talks on relations between the two countries. They considered opportunities for deeper cooperation in trade, investment, food security, aviation and security.

The Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister welcomed progress on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement and called for the convening of the Nigeria-Ethiopia Joint Commission. He also highlighted growing private-sector cooperation, including the Dangote Group’s investment in Ethiopia.

Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Joint Commission framework and called for stronger intra-African investment under the African Continental Free Trade Area. He also commended Ethiopia’s progress in agriculture and domestic value addition.