African Leaders and US Government Commit to Investing in Nutrition in Africa
(AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK) – The US government is providing $760 million to expand and strengthen agricultural programs that support farmers and communities around the world affected by rising food, fuel and fuel prices.
African leaders and the US government stressed the importance of increasing investment in nutrition and making it a priority on the African continent as part of the United States Summit on Africa (December 13-15).
The African Development Bank, through the African Leaders in Nutrition, the Board of Directors-General for Nutrition and the African Union Commission, hosted a high-level discussion on December 12 as part of the Summit of American and African leaders.
African leaders called on the US government and the international community to prioritize nutrition in global frameworks and policies and to increase investment in nutrition in Africa. They highlighted opportunities for cooperation between the United States and African countries to address nutrition challenges on the continent.
The Prime Minister of Lesotho, Ntsokoane Matekane, reaffirmed that the African Year of Nutrition is an opportunity to measure the progress made and identify further actions to be taken to combat child malnutrition.
“Within the framework of the African Year of Nutrition, a number of regional commitments were recently made, culminating in the Abidjan Declaration adopted in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on 8 December 2022. This statement calls for accelerated investment, implementation and coordination to improve nutrition and food security in Africa.”he declared.
“This crisis with sufficient targeted resources and simple, evidence-based interventions [de la malnutrition] It’s not only treatable, but also preventable, said Isobel Coleman, deputy administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Last year alone, USAID supported nutrition programs that reached more than 25 million children with specific nutrition interventions in 21 African countries. »
“With bipartisan support from Congress, the U.S. government is providing $760 million to expand and intensify agricultural programs that support farmers and communities around the world who are struggling with rising food, fuel, and fertilizer prices.”he continued. “As Covid-19, climate change and Vladimir Putin’s war on the people of Ukraine continue to undermine food systems, it is up to all of us to continue our efforts to feed the world.”he added.
Ms. Beth Dunford, Vice President for Agriculture and Human and Social Development, representing the African Development Bank, emphasized the urgency of the guarantee. “Affordable, safe and nutritious food to address the hunger, malnutrition and starvation crisis in many parts of the African continent”. “Strong health systems that can support those most vulnerable to malnutrition – women, adolescents and children – are also essential”he added.
The event was attended by ambassadors and senior officials of African countries, the African Union Commission, international non-governmental organizations, including members of the Board of Directors-General for Nutrition, as well as representatives of US government agencies, including USAID and the State Department. Rwanda’s Minister of Health Sabin Nsanzimana and Ethiopia’s Minister of State for Finance Eyob Tekalign were also present.
The African Development Bank has increased its resources dedicated to addressing malnutrition in Africa: over the past four years, it has committed $2.8 billion to initiatives from its investment portfolio. “nutritional smart”this means that the projects it funds will have one or more nutrition-related objectives, a nutrition-related activity or intervention, and a nutrition-related outcome or impact indicator.
This reallocation represents a significant increase from the 2018 baseline of $700 million.
