Vice President Kashim Shettima affirmed Nigeria’s commitment to tackling malnutrition through a localized, community-based approach aimed at transforming nutrition outcomes across the nation’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs). This pledge was made on Tuesday during a meeting with a high-level delegation from the World Bank Group at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
At the meeting, Shettima introduced the N-774 Initiative, a comprehensive strategy building on the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project’s successes. The Vice President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, detailed the announcement in a statement titled ‘VP Shettima Pursues Grassroots Solutions to National Nutrition Challenges.’ The World Bank praised the N-774 framework as a promising model for addressing malnutrition in Nigeria and across the region.
“The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is leading a new approach to nutrition programs, focused on locally owned solutions,” Shettima stated. “The N-774 Initiative reflects our dedication to sustainable, community-driven development for improved nutrition outcomes.”
The N-774 Initiative aims to address malnutrition by tailoring interventions to the unique needs of each LGA, bringing direct nutrition support to local communities. Shettima emphasized that this approach promotes local ownership and long-term sustainability, underscoring that “malnutrition is a Nigerian problem that requires a Nigerian solution,” with President Tinubu’s full support for the initiative. The program integrates nutritional goals across sectors such as education, agriculture, health, and social protection to maximize its impact.
In terms of execution, Shettima highlighted the importance of using current political momentum to reverse Nigeria’s negative nutrition indicators. “The Renewed Hope Administration is committed to achieving rapid, meaningful results through this innovative nutrition strategy,” he added. He expressed confidence that ongoing collaboration between the federal and local governments, alongside international partners, would significantly improve community health outcomes.
The World Bank delegation, which included the Country Director Ndiame Diop, Regional Director for West and Central Africa, and the Health Global Practice Manager, voiced strong support for the initiative’s grassroots-focused approach. Diop commended Shettima’s leadership in fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration to spotlight nutrition issues. He announced the World Bank’s allocation of $50 million for ANRiN 2.0, a crisis response initiative aimed at enhancing nutrition across Nigeria.
Trina Haque, the Practice Manager for Health, Nutrition, and Population at the World Bank, also emphasized the importance of nutrition education, especially for children and adolescents, to support early childhood development.
