African leaders and the US government have stressed the need for increased investment in and prioritization of nutrition across the African continent.
The African Development Bank through African Leaders for Nutrition, the Nutrition CEO Council and the African Union Commission convened a high-level discussion on December 12, on the sidelines of the US-African Leaders Summit.
The leaders called on the US government and the global community to prioritize nutrition in global policy and frameworks and increase investment in nutrition in Africa. They emphasized opportunities for collaboration between the United States and African nations to address the continent’s nutritional challenges.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Ntsokoane Matekane of Lesotho reiterated that the African Year of Nutrition is an opportunity to recognize the progress made and outline further steps that need to be taken to address child malnutrition.
“Several regional commitments have been made as part of the AU Year of Nutrition which recently culminated in the Abidjan Declaration, adopted on December 8, 2022 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The statement calls for accelerated investment, implementation and coordination to improve nutrition and food security in Africa,” he said.
In her remarks, USAID Assistant Administrator Isobel Coleman said: “With enough targeted resources and simple, evidence-based interventions, this [malnutrition] The crisis is not only treatable but preventable. Just last year, USAID supported nutrition programs that reached more than 25 million children with nutrition-specific interventions in 21 African countries.”
He added: “Thanks to bipartisan support in Congress, the US government is committing $760 million to expand and scale farm programs that support farmers and communities around the world hard hit by rising farm prices. food, fuel and fertilizers. As Covid-19, climate change and Putin’s war against the people of Ukraine continue to undermine food systems, it is up to all of us to continue our efforts to feed the world.”
On behalf of the African Development Bank, Dr. Dunford, Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, noted the urgency of ensuring “affordable, safe and nutritious food to address the crisis of hunger, malnutrition and famine affecting to many parts of the African continent. continent are experiencing. “Strong health systems with the capacity to support those most vulnerable to malnutrition (women, adolescents and children) are also essential,” he said.
The event was attended by ambassadors and high-level officials from African countries; the AU Commission; the international NGO community, including members of the Nutrition CEO Council; Officials of US government agencies, including those of USAID and the Department of State. Also present were Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health of Rwanda and Dr. Eyob Tekalign, Minister of State for Finance of Ethiopia.
The African Development Bank has increased resources to address problems related to malnutrition in Africa: in the last four years, the Bank reallocated $2.8 billion from its investment portfolio for “nutrition-smart” initiatives, meaning that projects of the Bank will have one or more nutrition programs. -related objectives or targets, a nutrition-related activity or intervention, and a nutrition-related indicator at the outcome or impact level.
This reallocation marks a significant increase from a baseline of $700 million in 2018.
