Vice-President Kashim Shettima and state governors have pledged to strengthen Nigeria’s fight against malnutrition by adopting lessons from Ethiopia’s nutrition financing, intergovernmental coordination and community-based interventions.

Shettima made the commitment on Thursday in Abuja after leading a Nigerian delegation to the three-day Ethiopia-Nigeria Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum in Addis Ababa and Oromia.

He said the lessons from the engagement would be incorporated into the Nutrition 774 (N774) Initiative, which aims to improve nutrition outcomes across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

The Vice-President stressed the need for stronger collaboration among the federal, state and local governments to ensure that nutrition interventions reach vulnerable households, particularly children and women.

He also emphasised sustainable funding, accountability and effective implementation at the grassroots, noting that improved nutrition was essential for human capital development, productivity and economic growth.

Shettima said the success of the exchange would be measured by how effectively its recommendations translated into better nutritional outcomes for Nigerian families.

The Nigerian delegation included state governors, commissioners and officials from federal ministries, departments and agencies responsible for health, education, agriculture, water resources, sanitation, budget planning and emergency management.

At the federal level, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, announced plans to collaborate with at least two states with the highest burden of malnutrition to begin implementing the initiative at the local level.

The proposed partnership is expected to provide an initial platform for translating the forum’s recommendations into practical interventions in affected communities.

Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr Mekdes Daba, commended Nigeria’s decision to extend the N774 Initiative across all its local government areas, describing it as a demonstration of political commitment.