The Continental Nutrition Accountability Scorecard (2019)
While African countries are making significant efforts to address malnutrition, the burden of malnutrition remains high and effective progress low. Recognizing that nutrition is not only an outcome but also an investment in economic development, the various targets that have been set to advance nutrition goals in Africa have provided a unique opportunity for African leaders to give attention to achieving nutrition goals and commitments. The African Leaders for Nutrition initiative (ALN) has been set up by the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank to help implement Africa’s commitment to nutrition security.
The Continental Nutrition Accountability Scorecard is a key advocacy tool to support the ALN platform to highlight individual country progress. Twelve indicators clustered in four categories have been used to illustrate the status in achieving nutrition goals in Africa. The report provides research context, methodology, key findings and makes recommendations on the way forward.
Recommendations
Whereas the African continent is making commendable efforts to improve the nutrition status, the burden of malnutrition is ballooning with increasing rates of childhood stunting, overweight and wasting. This is a direct threat to economic gains being made in the continent and has the potential to compromise the development of productivity of Africa’s future generations.
- Increase allocations towards multisectoral nutrition plans
- Enforce compliance with mandatory food fortification legislation.
- Enact policies on social protection mechanisms to empower women and adolescent girls to embrace health-reinforcing behaviors during pregnancy and early childhood.
- Spearhead country efforts to avail timely data on nutrition to support policy development in Africa