Africa Business Communities

[BLOG] Investing in Nutrition

Africa is in need of critical investment in nutrition. It is said that every year 11% of GDP in Africa is lost to under-nutrition.

There are affordable solutions to build a stronger, healthier population with the skills to drive economic-growth and social-development.

It is essential that we make these investments in nutrition now. Malnutrition, hunger will not and cannot be solved by governments alone.

I support a comprehensive range of interventions to prevent stunting in early childhood.

I Will support programmes in partnership with the private sector, to fortify food-staples such as flour, oil, sugar and salt.

Women like Hawa in Mozambique.

Hawa has already had to bury some of her children because they died of malnutrition. Of those that survived 3 year old Ali is severely stunted, Jamal is seven and just 3 foot 8 and her oldest daughter Habiba has already lost children of her own.

Hawa and her family haven’t been living through a famine. They strive every day to get the nutritious food they need. But it simply hasn’t been possible.

Hawa is not alone.

After all that has been done, there are still 1 billion people under-nutrition. 1 in 4 children are stunted through chronic malnutrition. And 165 million children are so malnourished by the age of 2 that their minds and bodies will never fully develop.

This is a massive issue for humanity, and it’s absolutely right that some investment should be made this regard.

 

www.africabusinesscommunities.com

 

  Follow us on Twitter

  Become a Member of our Linkedin Group

  Follow us on Facebook

Share this article