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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja, after a three-day visit to Ethiopia, pledging to strengthen the implementation of Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 Initiative with lessons from the country’s approach to tackling malnutrition.
Shettima returned on Friday, after leading a Nigerian delegation to the Nigeria–Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange in Addis Ababa and Oromia, which focused on sharing practical strategies for improving nutrition, strengthening food systems and coordinating interventions across different levels of government, according to a statement by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha.
The vice president said the lessons from the exchange would be adapted to Nigeria’s circumstances, particularly to improve collaboration among federal, state and local governments and deliver better nutrition outcomes for households and communities.
He stressed that the success of the visit would be measured by the extent to which the lessons translated into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians, especially women and children.
During the visit, Shettima held a bilateral meeting with Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, where both leaders explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, trade, investment, food security and aviation.
At the opening of the exchange, themed “Moving the Needle on Nutrition,” the vice president highlighted the importance of African countries learning from one another, citing Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration and Nigeria’s Nutrition 774 Initiative as platforms for sharing locally driven solutions to malnutrition.
He also underscored the need for stronger nutrition financing, accountability and implementation at the subnational level, noting that improved nutrition was essential to human capital development, productivity and economic growth.
The Nigerian delegation, comprising governors, ministers and other stakeholders, undertook field visits across Oromia to study Ethiopia’s agricultural value chains and their links to nutrition and livelihoods.
The team visited wheat, banana and papaya farms, the Bounty of the Basket Training Centre and households in Mojo, among other facilities, to examine how agricultural production and food-system development could support improved nutrition outcomes.
The delegation also visited the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, where officials received briefings on the use of technology, data and innovation in development and public-sector service delivery.
Members of the Nigerian delegation included the governors of Jigawa, Umar Namadi; Zamfara, Dauda Lawal; Osun, Ademola Adeleke; and Abia, Alex Otti.
