Nigeria Launches Plan to End Child Malnutrition by 2035

Nigeria is taking its biggest step yet to end childhood malnutrition with a comprehensive plan that reaches every corner of the country.

Vice President Kashim Shettima announced the National Council on Nutrition's approval of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition 2026-2035 this week. The policy represents the first truly coordinated effort to tackle malnutrition across Nigeria's 774 local government areas, from Yobe to Bayelsa.

"Behind every statistic is a child whose future is at stake," Shettima told council members during the virtual meeting. "Behind every percentage is a mother, a family, a community, and a country either rising to its duty or retreating from it."

The new policy breaks from past efforts by requiring action from every government level. All 36 states must create their own nutrition action plans within six to nine months. The 27 states without nutrition councils have three months to establish them, joining the nine already in place.

The initiative doesn't rely solely on government funding. Nigeria is launching a private sector challenge window within 60 days, partnering with the Dangote Foundation and federal ministries to bring business resources into the fight against malnutrition.

Every ministry handling nutrition-related work has 12 months to align its budgets and plans with the new policy. A national nutrition bill will go to the National Assembly within eight weeks to provide legal protection for nutrition funding across political changes.

The Ripple Effect

This coordinated approach could transform millions of young lives. When children receive proper nutrition, they perform better in school, grow into healthier adults, and break cycles of poverty. Nigeria's success could also provide a model for other African nations struggling with similar challenges.

The policy emphasizes grassroots implementation over federal announcements. State governors will lead the establishment of local councils, ensuring communities shape solutions that work for their specific needs. The Nutrition 774 Initiative reminds officials that success means real change in households, not just policy documents.

Shettima stressed that history will judge the effort by what families experience in 2035, not by what officials decided in 2026. The government is creating five funding streams including domestic, bilateral, multilateral, private sector, and innovative financing to ensure resources reach every local area.

Nigeria's children are finally getting the comprehensive attention they deserve, with a plan that turns statistics into real change.