Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to lead a high-level Nigerian delegation on a government-to-government peer exchange aimed at strengthening the country’s nutrition delivery system.

The visit, at the invitation of Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, is expected to provide Nigeria with an opportunity to draw lessons from Ethiopia’s multi-sectoral approach to tackling malnutrition, food insecurity and related development challenges.

Shettima will lead the Nigerian delegation to the inaugural Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Visit, bringing together key stakeholders to examine how both countries have deployed government-led strategies to improve nutrition outcomes at the federal, state and local levels.

The exchange is particularly significant as Nigeria intensifies efforts to address malnutrition and strengthen coordination among government institutions responsible for agriculture, food security, health, social protection and economic planning.

During the visit, the Nigerian delegation will engage Ethiopian officials and development stakeholders on strategies for building an effective government-led nutrition compact across the three tiers of government.

The delegation is also expected to visit selected agricultural and nutrition-focused establishments to gain first-hand knowledge of Ethiopia’s interventions and their impact on communities.

The scheduled visits include a wheat farm and banana plantation in Oromia; the “Bounty of the Basket” Training Centre and selected households in Mojo; as well as Jabdu Motors in Bishoftu.

The programme is designed to provide practical insights into the relationship between agricultural production, household livelihoods, food availability and improved nutrition outcomes.

Shettima is accompanied on the trip by Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, and his Jigawa State counterpart, Umar Namadi.

Others on the delegation are the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari; and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar.

The visit comes against the backdrop of growing efforts by the Federal Government to adopt a more integrated approach to nutrition, linking food production and security with healthcare, social protection and economic development.

At the end of the engagements in Addis Ababa, the Vice President is expected to return to Abuja.