The National Policy on Food and Nutrition (NPFN) 2026–2035 has been approved by the National Council on Nutrition (NCN), and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning has been instructed to send it to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.
Vice President Kashim Shettima presided over the Council’s 15th virtual meeting on Tuesday, when the decision was made after consultations with important public and commercial partners in Nigeria’s nutrition sector.
The strategy is multi-sectoral, evidence-based, and community-driven, according to Shettima, who called it “the most consequential nutrition policy the country has produced.”
He emphasized that by 2035, actual improvements in the lives of mothers and children throughout Nigeria’s 774 local government areas would be used to gauge its success rather than conversations.
Within a year, all ministries, departments, and agencies must align their budgets and policies with the NPFN, and within six to nine months, states and the Federal Capital Territory must create and execute multisectoral nutrition action plans.
Additionally, the deadline for presenting a draft National Nutrition Bill to the National Assembly—which was supposed to happen in eight weeks—was delayed by six weeks.
The NCN endorsed five funding sources for nutrition financing: domestic, bilateral, multilateral, private sector, and innovative financing. It also recommended increased engagement of important stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, finance commissioners, and ALGON.
In cooperation with important partners, Shettima also approved a 60-day window for private sector nutrition challenges. She emphasized that the proposed measure must clearly define obligations at all levels of government and safeguard nutrition funding from political shifts.
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