Despite significant progress over the past decades, Ethiopia continues to face a high burden of malnutrition, with rates of child stunting and wasting above the average across Africa. At the 2025 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, the Government of Ethiopia committed to mobilizing $638 million USD for nutrition by 2030, 25% of the $2.55 billion Seqota Declaration funding requirement, and to establishing a robust system to ensure the effective allocation, tagging, and tracking of nutrition-related financial resources.

The Framework provides a shared understanding of the full resource need to end malnutrition in Ethiopia, estimated at an average of ETB 26 billion annually from 2026–2030, roughly 2.7% of the country’s total approved federal budget, and lays out a roadmap of priority actions to help the government meet the financing and governance commitments it made at N4G.

The Framework is organized around seven pillars for sustainably financing food and nutrition, each with their own set of concrete actions mapped to Ethiopia’s FNS or N4G commitments:

1. Set Financial Direction
2. Strengthen Sectoral Nutrition Planning
3. Ensure Active Nutrition Review by Planning Commissions
4. Enhance Multi-sectoral Accountability
5. Advocate to Senior Officials and Parliament
6. Mobilize Additional Innovative Financing
7. Establish the Next Decade of Action (2031–2040)

With the Framework validated by all key government sectors and partners, the next phase of work will focus on cascading national guidance to the regional level through costed Regional Food and Nutrition Investment Plans to guide implementation of the framework’s recommended actions.

FCDP is a SUN Movement resource available to all 67 SUN Countries. The platform aims to transform the nutrition financing landscape by inspiring and igniting government leaders to elevate nutrition financing as a priority and accelerate impact across sectors.

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The Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, with support from the Seqota Declaration Secretariat, UNICEF, and the Finance Capacity Development Platform (FCDP) for Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) countries, convened a two-day Validation Workshop for the National Food and Nutrition Financing Framework on 9–10 June 2026 in Addis Ababa.

The workshop brought together key government sectors- Health, Agriculture, Water and Energy, Women and Social Affairs, Finance, and Education, alongside development partners and other key stakeholders to review, refine, and formally endorse the National Food and Nutrition Financing Framework. The Framework was developed through an iterative, participatory process involving technical working group consultations and sector reviews, and provides a common understanding of the full resource need to end malnutrition in Ethiopia, alongside a set of priority actions to help the government meet the financing and governance commitments it made at the 2025 Paris Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit.

Key outcomes of the workshop

• Validation and endorsement of the National Food and Nutrition Financing Framework by all key government sectors and partners.
• Confirmation of a prioritized set of actions to sustainably finance food and nutrition, aligned with both government N4G commitments and the Food and Nutrition Strategy.
• Sector-specific action plans developed, identifying next steps, responsible parties, and timelines for implementation.
• Agreement on an approach for developing Regional Food and Nutrition Financing Plans.
• Early direction-setting for nutrition financing beyond 2030, including institutionalizing dedicated nutrition budget lines and strengthening data systems.

Key reflections from participants

• Nutrition financing cannot be siloed within a single sector. Broader ownership, clearer roles, and stronger accountability are needed across government.
• Domestic financing remains insufficient and requires sustained advocacy.
• Donor funding should be better aligned with sector priorities, with improved visibility of partners and resources to reduce duplication.
• The Framework should be embedded in existing government planning and budgeting cycles, including NBTT and regional planning processes
• Regional rollout will require early orientation, engagement of federal sectors from the outset, and use of existing technical committees.

With the Framework validated, the next phase of work will focus on cascading national guidance to the regional level through the development of costed Regional Food and Nutrition Investment Plans, building on the momentum, cross-sector ownership, and lessons generated during the workshop.

FCDP is a SUN Movement resource available to all 67 SUN Countries. The platform aims to transform the nutrition financing landscape by inspiring and igniting government leaders to elevate nutrition financing as a priority and accelerate impact across sectors.

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The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) of Ghana, with technical and financial support from the Finance Capacity Development Platform (FCDP) for Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) countries, the World Bank, and UNICEF, organized a four-day Training of Trainers (ToT) and Pilot Planning Workshop on Food Systems Transformation and Nutrition Security from April 13th – 16th 2026 at Aqua Safari Resort, Ada.

The program was implemented in two linked phases:

• Phase I (13th–14th April): Training of selected national-level sector officers as Master Trainers to facilitate district-level FSNS planning.
• Phase II (15th–16th April): Pilot district workshop with Ada East, Ningo-Prampram, and South Tongu to test the practicality and user-friendliness of the FSNS planning tools & facilitation model.

The workshop was convened to strengthen national and sub-national capacity for integrating FSNS priorities into district 2026–2029 Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs), in line with the MTNDPF and Ghana’s Nutrition for Growth commitments. The full program validated and refined the FSNS Planning Tools, strengthened the technical capacity of a national pool of Master Trainers, and demonstrated the feasibility of district-level integration of FSNS interventions into planning and budgeting systems.

Key lessons from the pilot included:

• The Master Trainer model proved effective, with facilitators demonstrating strong competency in transferring technical knowledge and guiding district planning processes.
• District Planning Officers provided strong institutional leadership, ensuring effective team coordination and quality outputs.
• Districts demonstrated strong responsiveness, adaptability, and innovation, particularly in addressing data availability challenges.
• The FSNS Planning Toolkit was confirmed as practical, functional, and sufficiently robust for broader national application, while also identifying opportunities for further simplification.
• The multi-sectoral structure of district participation proved essential in testing the practicality of the toolkit within real governance and service delivery systems.

5 key outputs of the workshop:

• Validation and refinement of the FSNS Planning Toolkit and planning tools.
• Establishment of a pool of trained Master Trainers for rollout across the regions.
• Development of draft district-level costed FSNS action plans for three pilot districts.
• Development of an action plan to validate and seek approvals for the finalization of the FSNS plans for three pilot districts, and plans for incorporation into the budget process.
• Improved multi-sectoral coordination and planning for food systems and nutrition.

Overall, the initiative provides a credible pathway for translating national nutrition commitments into costed district-level programs. With sustained support and a phased rollout approach, the FSNS Planning Toolkit and Master Trainer model position NDPC to lead a more coordinated and results-oriented FSNS planning process nationwide. With the FSNS cascade training planned for a national roll-out, the stage is now set to translate this foundational work into nationwide impact.

FCDP is a SUN Movement resource available to all 67 SUN Countries. The platform aims to transform the nutrition financing landscape by inspiring and igniting government leaders to elevate nutrition financing as a priority and accelerate impact across sectors.

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Across low- and middle-income countries, governments are making bold commitments to strengthen primary health care as the foundation for universal health coverage (UHC). At the same time, foreign aid cutbacks and tightening fiscal space are increasing pressure on governments to do more with fewer resources. Translating national ambition into practical, actionable plans remains a persistent challenge.

Through the Advancing Realistic Health System Design and Planning (HSDP) for PHC program, R4D is working alongside governments to help redesign health systems so that financing, workforce, and service delivery decisions are aligned with real-world constraints such as population needs, institutional capacity, and political context.

This work builds on prior research and analysis conducted by R4D with support from the Gates Foundation to understand what enables realistic health care reform. Through a cross-country analysis of exemplar health systems, R4D examined how countries achieved transformational change. The findings showed that countries that successfully strengthen PHC over time tend to sequence reforms deliberately, align short-term operational plans with a longer-term system vision, and use strategic policy levers to maximize impact within available resources.

Phase 2 builds on these findings to deepen learning and support implementation in select countries currently undertaking major PHC reforms. This work is already underway in Ghana, and Tanzania has now been selected as an additional country partner. Through a structured learning approach, the previously identified enabling factors for realistic health system design and planning will be validated and further refined. The initiative will also generate practical tools, analytical frameworks, and global public goods to support policymakers in other countries to apply these lessons in their own contexts.

Additionally, R4D will provide strategic advisory and coaching support to Ghana and Tanzania, working alongside government leaders as they embed more realistic, evidence-informed approaches to system design and planning within ongoing PHC reform efforts — translating commitments into feasible implementation.

“Making rational, results-oriented investment decisions across health system building blocks, especially at the primary health care level, is critical for realizing improvements in population health services and health outcomes,” said Gemini Mtei, R4D Tanzania country director. “Building on more than a decade of collaboration, we’re excited to partner with the Government of Tanzania at this pivotal moment for strengthening delivery of primary health care services in the context of Universal Health Insurance reform implementation. Our work will help turn national commitments into plans that are ambitious and truly achievable, leading to real improvements in access to quality health services, improving health outcomes, and making progress towards Universal Health Coverage.”

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Established in 2023 with seed investment from the Gates Foundation, FCDP is a SUN Movement resource available to all 66 SUN countries. The platform aims to reshape the nutrition financing landscape by inspiring and igniting government leaders to elevate nutrition financing as a priority and accelerate impact across sectors.

In the first phase of the platform, FCDP established itself as a key resource for SUN countries working closely with the SUN Movement Secretariat. FCDP supported several countries with technical assistance and capacity strengthening (including Nigeria, Ethiopia, Senegal, Somalia, Pakistan), worked with partners to host regional convenings in Africa and Asia, and generated key learnings including new lessons on nutrition budget tagging and tracking in the Asia region with Capacity for Nutrition (C4N).

This new phase of the platform is managed by R4D UK and guided by FCDP’s Roadmap and Results Framework 2026–2028.

“FCDP has proven to be an invaluable resource to SUN countries and R4D UK is pleased to host the platform in its new phase and moving forward. Our expertise in innovations and systems learning together with nutrition financing means that the support we provide countries is always fit for purposes and of the highest quality” said R4D UK Director, Tom Feeny.

FCDP’s vision of success to support SUN countries includes the following long-term goals:

1. Greater sustainability of funding to ensure programs that offer important nutrition actions are uninterrupted and government owned.
2. Increased funding for nutrition-aligned country priorities across sectors and all sources — public and external.
3. More strategic use of funding that ensures government-owned policies and programs enhance the achievement of food and nutrition targets.

Working closely with the SUN Movement Secretariat (SMS) and our collaborators including the World Bank, UNICEF, C4N and others, FCDP is helping to shape a new agenda for sustainable nutrition financing with country governments leading the way.

Learn more about the Finance Capacity Development Platform for Scaling Up Nutrition countries here.

For inquiries please contact the FCDP Project Manager, Abbe McCarter.

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Yet important gaps remain. Too many pneumonia cases are still not correctly diagnosed at the facility level, and access in the private sector remains limited. Addressing these challenges will be critical for sustaining progress and ensuring that more children receive timely, effective treatment.

This policy brief outlines six priority actions the Ministry of Health can take to build on recent progress, strengthen pneumonia diagnosis and treatment, and sustain access to essential medicines as Tanzania works toward its 2030 child mortality goals.

For more on the collaboration between the Government of Tanzania and R4D to expand access to childhood pneumonia treatment, see the accompanying impact brief.

Additional resources:

Implementation and lessons

• Supporting Tanzania’s Ministry of Health to improve commodity availability through bottom-up quantification
• Sustainable health commodity financing: Lessons from Tanzania’s transition from donor funding

Research and analysis

• Correct diagnosis of childhood pneumonia in public facilities in Tanzania
• Increasing the role of the private sector in pediatric pneumonia treatment in Tanzania

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