Nigeria Launches Nutrition 774 Initiative to Combat Malnutrition

On Tuesday, during the 15th meeting of the National Council on Nutrition (NCN) held virtually, Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima launched the Nutrition 774 Initiative, emphasizing the government's commitment to eradicating malnutrition. Shettima explained that the initiative is designed to address malnutrition effectively across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria, highlighting that every Nigerian child is impacted by malnutrition statistics.

He noted that the success of nutrition reforms will be judged by the outcomes for mothers and children by April 2026. The NCN adopted the National Policy on Food and Nutrition (NPFN) for 2026-2035, which aims to align federal, state, and local government efforts in nutrition.

The council directed the operationalization of state multisector plans within six to nine months and the submission of a draft bill on national nutrition within eight weeks. Shettima commended the work of the ad hoc committee and highlighted five identified financing streams for the initiative, which includes domestic, bilateral, and multilateral sources.