Nigeria's 36 state governors want to create a new fund to fight malnutrition, with payments tied to results. The Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) will establish a National Nutrition Intervention Fund to back the Nutrition 774 Initiative in every local government area, according to a statement issued Saturday in Abuja by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to Vice President Kashim Shettima on Media and Communications.
Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal announced the proposed fund in Ethiopia as he read the NGF-Addis Ababa Commitment on Nutrition. He said it would incentivise leadership at state level, encourage greater domestic investment, reward effective implementation and support measurable gains in nutrition outcomes. The idea, then, is to fund performance, not spending alone.
The Commitment
The governors, Lawal said, had resolved to "declare war on hunger" by launching a nationwide nutrition emergency. "This massive mobilisation will establish a powerful National Nutrition Intervention Fund to instantly advance Nigeria's ambitious Nutrition 774 Initiative across every single local government area in Nigeria," he said.
The pledge came after a three-day Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange. A Nigerian delegation led by Vice President Shettima studied Ethiopia's approach to nutrition delivery, including its Seqota Declaration. Lawal described the effort as "From lessons to commitment: Accelerating Implementation of the Nutrition 774 Initiative."
Governors also promised to strengthen domestic financing, improve accountability at the grassroots and establish a unified framework for nutrition planning and budgeting. Lawal said the exchange showed why sustained political leadership, effective multisectoral coordination and ownership across all levels of government matter.
Nigeria, he stressed, isn't starting from scratch. "We are encouraged that Nigeria's N774 Initiative already embodies many of the principles we have seen here in Ethiopia," Lawal said. "This leadership exchange has, however, provided important practical lessons on how these principles can be further strengthened and translated into results."
Three Tiers, One Compact
The three tiers of government signed the Nutrition Compact on 20 February 2025, more than one year ago, to establish a shared commitment to tackle malnutrition. The NGF chairman signed for the 36 states. The President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) signed for the 774 local governments. The compact's second anniversary falls on 20 February 2027.
That timing matters. A compact is a promise. The fund offers the first concrete sign that governors will put their own money behind it.
Federal Plan: Two States First
Muyi Aina, Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said the federal government would begin targeted nutrition programmes in two states, rather than launch them everywhere at once. Speaking for federal agencies, he said the delegation had learned from Ethiopia's agricultural transformation, early childhood development programmes and data-driven initiatives.
Aina named the ingredients he considers essential for lasting results: clear vision and leadership, alignment across the three tiers of government, evidence-based prioritisation, rigorous measurement and disciplined execution. The federal team would choose the two states based on their stunting burden, set clear objectives and design multisectoral interventions for local needs.
Officials would cost the plan. Participating governments would work toward a joint financing arrangement, while measurable indicators would track progress. "We will track very rigorously progress in the execution of the plan," Aina said.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Pate also stressed delivery. He said the exchange offered lessons in turning political commitments into practical action and measurable outcomes, and identified focused sectoral action, a clear implementation roadmap, performance matrices and accountability as critical. Officials will report progress to the vice president through the National Council on Nutrition. Pate said sustainable results would require federal and state governments, communities and development partners, and he expressed confidence Nigeria could adapt Ethiopia's experience to its own circumstances.
Ethiopia's Minister of Health, Mekdes Daba, praised Nigeria's commitment and called the exchange a practical example of African countries learning from one another. She described the Nutrition 774 Initiative as a significant national commitment.
Why This Matters:
The fund's design will determine whether it succeeds. Governors say it will reward effective implementation, while federal officials point to costed plans, joint financing and rigorous tracking. That's the right instinct: link money to measurable outcomes and keep responsibility with officials closest to the problem. The risk is familiar. Large national funds can turn into slow-moving bureaucracies, and a nationwide "emergency" spanning 774 local governments demands a heavy administrative effort. Starting with two states, selected by stunting burden, is more disciplined than a blanket rollout. Whether governors commit real domestic revenue, and publish results for taxpayers to see, will show if this is reform or just another announcement.