Nigeria Launches 10-Year Plan to End Child Malnutrition

Nigeria just took a major step toward ending child malnutrition, approving a comprehensive 10-year policy that Vice President Kashim Shettima calls "the most consequential nutrition policy this country has produced."

The National Council on Nutrition adopted the National Policy on Food and Nutrition at its 15th meeting in April 2026, following extensive consultations across public and private sectors. The policy now heads to the Federal Executive Council for final approval before implementation begins.

The numbers make clear why this matters. About 32% of Nigerian children under five are stunted due to chronic undernutrition, and two million suffer from severe acute malnutrition requiring urgent treatment. Nigeria carries one of the world's highest burdens of child malnutrition, according to UNICEF.

But this policy isn't just another government document. It's designed to reach every corner of the nation, with directives for all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to operationalize action plans within six to nine months.

"We will be judged not by our deliberations but by our deliveries," Shettima told the council. "Not by what we decided in April 2026, but by what mothers and children in the 774 local government areas experience by 2035."

The plan includes ambitious timelines. All nutrition-related government agencies must align their budgets and policies within 12 months. The 27 states without functional nutrition councils have just three months to establish them, joining the nine states already working on the issue.

To ensure lasting change, the council approved a draft National Nutrition Bill heading to the National Assembly within eight weeks. The legislation will protect nutrition funding from political changes and clearly define who's responsible at every government level.

The Ripple Effect

This policy reaches beyond government halls into boardrooms and communities. Nigeria identified five funding streams including domestic resources, international partners, private sector contributions, and innovative financing models.

The Dangote Foundation is partnering with government ministries to establish a "challenge window" for nutrition within 60 days, inviting private sector innovation. The Nutrition 774 Initiative will ensure implementation reaches all local government areas, not just major cities.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu praised the vice president's leadership on food security, while stakeholders from both sectors called the policy "a critical investment in children's wellbeing." Permanent Secretary Deborah Odoh described it as strategic framework aligned with the government's broader development agenda.

Every Nigerian child will be prioritized regardless of where they live, Shettima emphasized. Success won't be measured by federal announcements but by real improvements in households across every single local government area.

By 2035, Nigeria aims to transform the nutritional future for millions of children who currently face chronic hunger and its lifelong consequences.