Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Addis Ababa to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the first Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange. The Shettima Ethiopia nutrition exchange will focus on how both countries can improve nutrition policies and strengthen delivery at federal, state and local government levels.
Shettima is attending the three-day engagement at the invitation of Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, who is championing Ethiopia’s multisectoral approach to nutrition. The programme will run from October 7 to 9, 2026, and will bring Nigerian officials together with Ethiopian stakeholders to share experiences and examine practical approaches to nutrition delivery.
President Bola Tinubu approved the high-level delegation as part of the Federal Government’s wider effort to strengthen nutrition interventions across Nigeria. The delegation includes governors from several states, along with key federal officials involved in budgeting, agriculture and emergency management.
Shettima Ethiopia Nutrition Exchange to Examine Ethiopia’s Model
A major focus of the visit will be Ethiopia’s experience with coordinated nutrition programmes. Nigerian officials are expected to study how the country has moved from political commitments to practical action at the community and sub-national levels.
One of the key models under consideration is Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration. The Ethiopian government introduced the initiative in 2015 after committing to end stunting among children under two by 2030.
The programme takes a broad approach to nutrition. It involves several government sectors, including health, agriculture, education, water and finance. This structure allows different institutions to work towards shared nutrition goals rather than operating through separate programmes.
The Seqota Declaration also follows a 15-year roadmap. Its three phases are Innovation, Expansion and Scale-Up. Nigeria hopes to draw useful lessons from this structure as it works to improve coordination and accountability in its own nutrition programmes.
The Nigerian team will also visit several projects in Ethiopia. These include a wheat farm and banana plantation in Oromia, the Bounty of the Basket Training Centre and households in Mojo. The delegation is also expected to visit Jabdu Motors in Bishoftu.
These visits will allow Nigerian officials to observe how agriculture, livelihoods and community-based interventions can support better nutrition outcomes. They will also provide an opportunity to discuss how government-led programmes can connect food production with wider nutrition goals.
Nigeria Links Ethiopia Visit to Nutrition 774 Initiative
The visit comes as the Federal Government pushes its Nutrition 774 Initiative, also known as N774. The programme aims to accelerate nutrition interventions across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
The initiative reflects a growing focus on action at the sub-national level. While federal policies can set national priorities, states and local governments remain important to the delivery of health and nutrition services.
Seven governors are listed among the wider delegation approved for the leadership exchange. They are AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Alex Otti of Abia, Bassey Otu of Cross River, Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno, Ademola Adeleke of Osun, Umar Namadi of Jigawa and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara.
The participation of the governors could help Nigeria connect the lessons from Ethiopia with existing state-level programmes. It may also encourage states to strengthen their own nutrition structures and improve coordination with federal agencies.
However, the value of the exchange will depend on what happens after the delegation returns. Nigeria will need to adapt the lessons from Ethiopia to its own economic and social conditions.
That process will require clear funding, strong monitoring and cooperation between federal, state and local authorities. It will also require sustained political commitment if the government wants nutrition programmes to reach vulnerable households consistently.
For now, the Ethiopia visit gives Nigeria an opportunity to examine a model that has placed nutrition at the centre of a wider government strategy. The next step will be turning the lessons from the exchange into policies and programmes that produce measurable results across the country.