Key African leaders at the African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meeting, in partnership with the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, outlined a vision for a new high-level effort and shared new data strengthening the economic case for investment in nutrition across Africa.
On the opening day of the AfDB Annual Meeting in Lusaka, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina hosted a discussion among influential leaders, philanthropists, and businesses on how Africa can achieve nutrition security through increased investments and public-private partnerships.
“To empower people out of poverty, we must first invest in the gray matter infrastructure that will truly fuel this progress—the minds of our children. Nutrition is not just a health and social development issue, nutrition is an investment that shapes economic growth for all African nations,” said Adesina.
“When the growth of our children is stunted today—the growth of our economies will be stunted tomorrow. But when Africa’s children are nourished and can grow, learn, and earn to their full potential, we will be able to unleash the potential of the entire continent.”
New analysis released today from the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition shows increased investments to meet the World Health Assembly target of reducing stunting by 40 percent by 2025 could add $83 billion in additional GDP growth in just 15 sub-Saharan African countries. In Nigeria alone, this includes $29 billion in national income, or a 17 to 1 benefit cost ratio for additional investments. The full analysis from the Global Panel can be found here.
A new Africa-specific investment framework by the World Bank and Results for Development showing the costs to achieve the WHA stunting, wasting, anemia and breastfeeding targets was also unveiled. Achieving these four global nutrition targets in sub-Saharan Africa would require an increased investment of approximately $2.7 billion/year for 10 years. Meeting the targets would require increased investment of approximately $1.8 billion/year from donors and $750 million/year from African governments over the next decade.
The framework identifies that significant progress can be made by starting with investment in a subset of high-priority, most cost-effective interventions, including Vitamin A supplementation, supportive breastfeeding policies, and food fortification.
This subset package of priority interventions can be implemented across sub-Saharan Africa for an increased annual investment of approximately $700 million/year over the next 10 years. This would require an increase in spending of approximately $203 million/year from national governments in sub-Saharan Africa and additional $400 million/year from donors. The full analysis from the World Bank and Results for Development can be found here.
Iheanyi Nwachukwu
