Abia State Governor Alex Otti has joined Vice-President Kashim Shettima in Ethiopia for a high-level exchange aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s response to child malnutrition, with the Nigerian delegation studying the East African country’s approach to reducing childhood stunting.

The visit centred on the inaugural Nigeria-Ethiopia Nutrition Leadership Exchange Forum, also known as the Pearl Exchange Forum, held in Addis Ababa from October 7 to 9, 2026.

Otti’s participation formed part of Nigeria’s effort to improve nutrition delivery across the country through stronger cooperation between federal, state and local governments.

The governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, disclosed the visit in a statement issued in Umuahia, Abia State, on October 10.

The delegation’s mission was to study Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration, a long-term initiative launched in 2015 with the goal of ending stunting among children under two by 2030.

Nigeria is seeking to draw lessons from the programme to strengthen its own Nutrition 774 Initiative, known as N774, which was endorsed at the 148th meeting of the National Economic Council.

The initiative is designed to accelerate nutrition interventions across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, with emphasis on coordinated action and improved implementation at the grassroots.

The Nigerian delegation departed Abuja on October 6 and was received in Addis Ababa by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Nasir Aminu, alongside senior Ethiopian officials.

Beyond nutrition, the visit also provided an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations between Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Shettima led a meeting with Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Temesgen Tiruneh, where both sides explored opportunities to deepen cooperation in agriculture, trade, food security and aviation.

The delegation also undertook field visits to a wheat farm and banana plantation in the Oromia Region, the Bounty of the Basket Training Centre, households in Mojo town and Jabdu Motors in Bishoftu.

The visits offered Nigerian officials an opportunity to examine agricultural production, community-level development and other approaches that could inform policy implementation back home.

Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration is structured around a 15-year roadmap designed to translate political commitments into practical interventions against child stunting. Its experience is expected to provide useful lessons for Nigeria as it works to improve nutrition outcomes through coordinated action across different levels of government.