The Federal Government has constituted a committee to develop a sustainable funding structure for nutrition interventions across Nigeria.
The move followed the decision of the National Council on Nutrition to establish a Nutrition Financing Subcommittee aimed at strengthening the financing framework for national nutrition programmes.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who chairs the council, constituted the committee on Thursday during a virtual meeting of the council.
The subcommittee has been mandated to develop a financing roadmap within 30 days and present it to both the council and the National Economic Council for review and adoption.
The committee will be chaired by the Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate.
Other members include the ministers of education, water resources, women’s affairs, and science and technology, as well as the deputy chief of staff to the president and the senior special assistant to the president on public health.
The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning will serve as the secretariat.
Speaking at the meeting, Shettima stressed the need to ring-fence funding for nutrition programmes to close the gap between government commitments and measurable outcomes in the lives of Nigerians.
He also directed that development partners and private sector stakeholders be involved in the committee’s work, including the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
The vice-president further disclosed that the council resolved to pursue the National Nutrition Bill with urgency, noting the importance of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0 Project in addressing critical service delivery gaps in states with high malnutrition burdens.
Shettima urged state governors to accelerate actions at the state level to ensure timely implementation and efficient use of available resources.
He also emphasised the importance of integrating sub-national leadership and participation into planning, decision-making, and programme delivery.
According to him, transparency must be ensured in the budgeting, release, protection, and tracking of nutrition funds across ministries, departments, agencies, and state governments.
Shettima added that the council carries the responsibility of tackling the challenges hindering Nigeria’s quest for a well-nourished population. He also called on former legislators to mobilise support in the National Assembly to ensure the National Nutrition Bill is passed into law.
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Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, reiterated the commitment of state governors to support nutrition-related programmes nationwide.
Also speaking, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, recommended the creation of a sustainable funding structure to strengthen the Federal Government’s nutrition drive.
The council also reviewed an updated report on the national nutrition budgeting outlook, which highlighted both progress and existing funding gaps across ministries, departments, agencies, and sub-national governments.
According to the report, State Councils on Nutrition have already been inaugurated in nine states Abia State, Adamawa State, Borno State, Cross River State, Jigawa State, Plateau State, Rivers State, Yobe State, and Zamfara State — with more states expected to follow.
