The National Council on Nutrition (NCN) has approved Nigeria’s National Policy on Food and Nutrition (NPFN) 2026-2035, paving the way for its transmission to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for final ratification.
Gatekeepers News reports that the council also directed the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to establish functional State Councils on Nutrition within three months to strengthen sub-national ownership of nutrition interventions.
The resolutions were reached at the council’s 15th meeting held virtually and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Described as a comprehensive multi-sectoral framework, the newly adopted policy is expected to guide Nigeria’s nutrition and food security interventions over the next decade.
Speaking at the meeting, Shettima underscored the human impact of policy decisions, saying, “Behind every statistic discussed is a Nigerian child whose life chances are shaped by what government does or fails to do.”
“We will be judged not by our deliberations but by our deliveries. Not by what we decided in April 2026, but by what mothers and children across the 774 local government areas experience by 2035,” he said.
The vice president described the policy as “the most consequential nutrition policy this country has produced,” adding that it is evidence-based, grassroots-driven and cuts across sectors.
According to him, the policy is not limited to one ministry but belongs to “every ministry, every state, every local government, every ward, and every household represented in the work of this Council.”
The council mandated the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to transmit the policy to FEC and directed all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to align their programmes, plans and budgets with its provisions within 12 months.
It also instructed states and the FCT to operationalise their multisectoral plans of action on food and nutrition within six to nine months.
On legislation, the council approved a six-week extension for submission of a draft National Nutrition Bill, while insisting the bill be transmitted to the National Assembly within eight weeks.
Shettima said the proposed legislation would provide a legal framework to protect nutrition financing and define responsibilities across federal, state and local governments.
To strengthen funding, the council expanded its nutrition financing sub-committee to include the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the Commissioners of Finance Forum and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
According to the vice president, the sub-committee will work closely with the Nutrition 774 Strategic Board to ensure coordination and avoid duplication of roles.
The council also approved the creation of a co-branded nutrition intervention window to be launched within 60 days in partnership with the Dangote Foundation and relevant government ministries to deepen private sector participation.
On implementation, Shettima highlighted the Nutrition 774 Initiative as central to delivering nutrition interventions across all 774 local government areas.
