FG, States Turn to Ethiopia for Lessons as Nigeria Deepens Nutrition 774 Drive

The Federal Government and state governments have pledged stronger grassroots action to tackle malnutrition and child stunting, drawing lessons from Ethiopia’s nutrition programmes to accelerate progress under Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 Initiative.

The commitment emerged during the Nigeria–Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange in Addis Ababa, where Nigerian governors and federal ministers explored strategies for improving nutrition through coordinated interventions across healthcare, education, agriculture, water, sanitation and social protection.

The Nigerian delegation is led by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The initiative seeks to translate national nutrition policies into measurable improvements at the local government, community and household levels, with states and local governments expected to play a central role in implementation.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke said interventions should prioritise children under five and pregnant women, noting that Nigeria had recorded some progress but needed to do more.

“Especially for the young ones under five and, of course, pregnant women, it is very, very important,” Adeleke said.

“We have some success, but we can improve on it. That is why I am here, to learn from our counterparts in Ethiopia.”

Abia State Governor Alex Otti said Nigeria should be open to learning from countries that had made progress in addressing nutrition challenges rather than attempting to develop every solution independently.

“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 argued that tackling malnutrition required more than ensuring food availability, stressing that healthcare, education, agriculture, climate change and poverty reduction were interconnected.

“Today, we have learned that it’s not just about food security. It’s also about health. It’s about education. It’s about climate change. It’s about agriculture. So, a whole lot of things are intertwined,” he said.

Otti highlighted some of Abia State’s investments in education, including the recruitment of 9,469 teachers, the development of 20 smart schools and the rehabilitation of more than 200 primary and secondary schools. He also said the state committed about 20 per cent of its annual budget to education.

Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal said insecurity had undermined the state’s ability to translate its agricultural potential into improved nutrition for residents.

He noted that Zamfara had traditionally produced enough food to feed its population but was now facing difficulties because of prevailing security challenges.

“In the past, when you spoke about nutrition, we didn’t even have anything like that in the state because we produced enough to feed our people. However, because of those challenges now, it has become difficult,” Lawal said.

The governor, however, insisted that insecurity should not prevent the state from pursuing solutions, calling for closer alignment with federal programmes and interventions tailored to local realities.

“Should we be defined by the insecurity? The question is no. What else can we do?” he asked.

Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi identified Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration as a useful model for Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 Initiative, particularly its emphasis on taking interventions beyond government institutions to individual households.

“The one thing that is very important with 774 is the fact that it will have to go down from the national level to each local government, each ward, each community and each household,” Namadi said.

He disclosed that Jigawa had introduced complementary programmes, including the Masaki initiative and a Tom Brown nutrition programme, under which about 600 women had been trained to produce nutritious food for children.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said nutrition was fundamental to human capital development and required a coordinated response involving government institutions, communities and other stakeholders.

“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 recorded progress through national interventions and community-based programmes but needed to strengthen implementation and accelerate results.

“We have to now go back and deepen the progress, accelerate,” he said.

Pate disclosed that Nigeria and Ethiopia would develop a roadmap based on lessons from the leadership exchange, expressing optimism that sustained implementation could improve nutrition outcomes over the next four to five years.

“There are reasons to be optimistic that if we continue in this direction over the next four to five years, Nigeria will achieve remarkable success in dealing with key issues affecting the people of Nigeria, particularly the children who are the future of our country,” he said.

Minister of Education Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa stressed the importance of addressing nutrition during pregnancy and throughout the critical early stages of childhood development.

“If we miss that period, the 2,000 days, we’ve set those children up for failure in life,” Alausa said.

He said the Nutrition 774 agenda was designed to extend government interventions from the federal level through states and local governments to communities.

“We have an expansive 774 nutrition agenda that drives our nutrition agenda from the federal to the subnational government, state, local government and the community,” he said.

Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Prof. Joseph Utsev also emphasised the connection between nutrition, access to safe water, sanitation and agricultural production.

“When we talk about the workforce, we must first talk about healthy living. A human being must be healthy before he can impact positively in any role given to him,” Utsev said.

He explained that reliable water supply was essential not only for drinking and sanitation but also for irrigation and food production, making water security an important component of efforts to improve nutrition across Nigeria.

The exchange is expected to inform the development of a Nigeria–Ethiopia roadmap aimed at strengthening coordination between federal and state governments and extending nutrition interventions to local communities and households.