2023-06-20 15:18:07
ABIDJAN – At least 216 million children are stunted and malnourished in Africa. The latter is the main cause of mortality of children under five after malaria in Africa south of the Sahara. To put an end to it, the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) is stepping up actions on the ground and calls for mobilization both in Africa and globally.
In 2016, the pan-African development finance institution launched the Alliance of African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) initiative. The ALN is the Bank’s advocacy tool for African countries to work with partners to scale up nutrition on the continent. Supported by the African Union, the initiative also commits African leaders to invest part of their budget to reduce malnutrition on the continent. States are notably invited to implement various policies and interventions to fight against malnutrition in all its forms through agriculture, the food system and education, in tandem with the various development partners.
The race against the carnage
To demonstrate its commitment to the fight against malnutrition in Africa, in 2018 the Bank unveiled the Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Action Plan. This plan aims to mobilize additional financial resources for nutrition-smart investments in key sectors (agriculture, education, health, social protection, water, sanitation and hygiene -WASH) to reduce child stunting by 40%. children on the continent by 2025. These sectors have been identified as they account for over 30% of public expenditure in Africa and are underlying drivers of nutrition. The Bank has so far allocated nearly $2.8 billion of its investment portfolio to smart nutrition, from a baseline of $0.70 billion in 2018. This investment breaks down as follows: health ($531 million), agriculture ($950 million), WASH ($650 million) and social protection ($605 million).
And the Bank continues to multiply initiatives to give thousands of African children the chance to live their fifth birthday. Through its “Banking on Nutrition” program, in partnership with Big Win Philanthropy and the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the Bank is leading the race against the slaughter of children on the continent who are victims of malnutrition. This program enables the Bank to integrate nutrition into regional and national strategies and to work to increase the production and consumption of safe and nutritious food products, through the mobilization of partnerships, States and the private sector.
Thus, in the Sahel region, faced with enormous challenges on the effects of climate change (desertification, drought, erosion, floods, drying up of lakes, etc.) and insecurity, the Bank is implementing a regional program specific to food security and nutrition. Dénommé, the second project of the program to strengthen resilience to food and nutritional insecurity in the Sahel. This program perfectly illustrates the collaboration that the Bank intends to establish with other development partners to fight against malnutrition in the region.
With contributions from the Canada-African Development Bank Climate Fund, the West African Development Bank (African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional window), $176 million will be mobilized to sustainably increase the productivity and income from agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries value chains The program also helps to build people’s capacity to adapt to climatic hazards and contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change in six Sahelian countries and West Africa (Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo) About 1.38 million people will be directly affected by this project and 5.69 million others will benefit from it. indirect way.
In Burkina Faso, the Homegrown School Meals for Smart Nutrition Project funded by Japan through the African Development Bank is keeping thousands of schoolchildren in school. Thanks to funding of 990,000 dollars, this project reinforces the initiatives of the Burkinabè government to allow each child enrolled in primary school to have at least one balanced meal a day.
Adesina among the UN world champions against malnutrition
In 2019, the Bank approved an $8 million grant for the establishment of the Regional Center of Excellence in Nutrition Sciences in Burundi, to help address the shortage of qualified specialists in nutrition and agrifood processing to strengthen food security in Burundi and the East African region. The project took place in a context of high chronic malnutrition rates in Burundi (56%) and in the East African region. The Center will offer courses in clinical nutrition, nutrition and public health, agri-food technology, food quality, food safety and climate change. By June 2022, the programs had been developed and a cohort of 59 students enrolled for training.
Proof that his action deserves to be deepened, the President of the Bank, Akinwumi Adesina has just been appointed among 22 world leaders by the Secretary General of the United Nations Organization António Guterres, to lead the fight against malnutrition to a critical moment for food and nutrition security. Personalities like Cindy McCain, the executive director of the World Food Program, Catherine Russell, the executive director of Unicef or Gabriela De Bukele, First Lady of El Salvador, Sania Nishtar, member of the Senate and president of the NGO Heartfile in Pakistan , and Gunhlid Stordalen, founder and president of the EAT Foundation in Norway are also included.
“I am very honored that the Secretary General of the United Nations names me among the world leaders to fight against malnutrition in the world. Thank you SG [pour secrétaire général]. I look forward to contributing to the realization of this program, ”reacted on Twitter Mr. Adesina, as soon as the list was published.
This appointment should reinforce the commitment of Mr. Adesina, whose institution has just mobilized 72 billion dollars from international partners, at the end of the Dakar 2 Summit on food security and resilience, to stimulate food production and agriculture in Africa. The Bank itself is committed to putting $10 billion into the sector over the next five years in Africa.
Source: African
Development Bank Group (AfDB),
20.06.23
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