The African Union Policy Environment Toward Enabling Action for Nutrition in Africa Akoto Osei, Heifer International
Feb 09, 2017
The African Union Policy Environment Toward Enabling Action for Nutrition in Africa
Akoto Osei, Heifer International
Changing Policy Environment • MDG to SDG• Equity and inclusiveness• Evidence based solutions• Emphasis on results and impact• A more holistic approach• Emphasis on First 1,000 days of life• Poverty and hunger driven agenda• Need for increased resources
What defines enabling environment for nutrition?• Gillespie S, et al: Lancet 2013; 382: 552–69:
• A call for more research of what defines enabling environments for nutrition
• Consensus on these factors : • Politics and Governance• Knowledge and Evidence• Capacity and Resources
Politics and Governance – AU’s Commitment and Leadership• Increasing political commitment &
leadership on nutrition
Politics and Governance – AU’s Strategies & Policies
• Aspiration 1: A Prosperous Africa, based on Inclusive Growth & Sustainable Development.
• Goal 1: “A high standard of living, quality of life and wellbeing for All citizens”
• Goal 3: “A healthy and well-nourished citizens”
• Goal 5: “Modern agriculture for increased production, productivity & value addition”
Politics and Governance – AU’s Strategies & Policies
• Targets of Aspiration 1 includes:
• Reduce proportion of the population who suffer from hunger by at least 80%
• Reduce stunting in children to 10% and underweight to 5%.
Politics and Governance – AU’s Strategies Policies• 2014 Declared as Year of Agriculture, Food
Security and Nutrition• January 2014: AU Adoption of a Common
Africa Position (CAP) on the post-2015 development agenda (SDG);
• June 2014: Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihood;
The Malabo Declaration
Investment Finance in Agriculture
Recommitment to the CAADP
Process
Resilience & risk
managementEnding Hunger
by 2025
Markets & regional trade
Agriculture for 50% of Africa’s
poverty reduction
Mutual Accountability
Politics and Governance – AU’s Frameworks• Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development
Programme (CAADP)• Results by 2025:
• tangible impact of agriculture on socio-economic wellbeing of Africans – wealth creation; poverty alleviation; food & nutrition security; productive safety nets; and ecosystems and social system resilience.
Politics and Governance – AU’s Strategies Policies• June 2014: Declaration on Nutrition Security
for inclusive economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Africa
• End Hunger by 2025• Reduce child stunting to 10% and
underweight to 5% by 2025 and in particular, focusing on the first 1000 Days as the only window of opportunity
June 2015: Endorsed Africa’s Regional Nutrition Strategy (ARNS)
• Similar targets as the WHA65.6• Emphasize the scaling up of the nutrition
specific and nutrition sensitive interventions• Stress multi-sector collaboration for better
nutrition
Politics and Governance –Advocacy & Coordination• July 2010: Endorsed October 30th of each year
as Africa’s Day for Food and Nutrition Security
• January 2014 endorsed His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho as the Africa’s Nutrition Champion
• January 2016: Endorsed March 1 of each year as Africa’s Day for School Feeding
Politics and Governance – Advocacy & Coordination• African Task Force on Food and Nutrition
Development (ATFFND)• CAADP Partnership Platform • PACA Partnership Platform• Continental SPS Committee• ReSAKSS• AU’s active role in other nutrition & agriculture
events
Knowledge and Evidence for Nutrition – AU’s Activities• Cost of Hunger in
Africa Studies
Knowledge and Evidence for Nutrition – AU’s Activities• Sustaining CAADP Momentum Exercise,
undertaken in 2012-13• AU-EU Pan-African Research Programme on
Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Security - Ongoing
• NEPAD-FAO led food and nutrition information and knowledge sharing platform - Ongoing
Capacity and Resources for Nutrition • Limited capacity for nutrition (in-service & pre-
service)
Existing nutrition degree programs in West Africa
Moving forward • More actions to sustain the current political
commitments & momentum on nutrition• Actions needed to translate the nutrition
policies to concrete programs – i.e. scale up both the direct and indirect interventions
• Continue to include nutrition activities in the Action Plans of CAADP and other Frameworks
• Increase resources, including specific funding allocation for nutrition within budgets of AU and other RECs
Moving forward• Strengthen nutrition capacity across Africa • Strengthen data systems and information flow• Coordination and harmonization• Much needs to be done on obesity, overweight
and nutrition related non-communicable diseases