Strengthening sustainable food and nutrition security in Africa

29th October 2018
by secretary

Paepard

Yemi Akinbamijo, Prof. El Dukheri, Mr. Mphumuzi Sukati

22 – 26 October 2018. KICC,Nairobi, Kenya. The 2018 RUFORUM Biennial conference overall theme was “Aligning African Universities to accelerate attainment of Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

26 October 2018. Panel debate Strengthening sustainable food and nutrition security in Africa
Food and nutrition security remain Africa’s most fundamental challenges for human welfare and economic growth. Far too many people on the continent are unable to acquire and effectively utilize at all times the food they need for a healthy life. Because of low food availability and profound poverty, an estimated 200 million people on the continent are undernourished, and their numbers are on the increase by an estimated 20% since the last two decades.

The result is that more than a third of African children are stunted in their growth and must face a range of physical and cognitive challenges not faced by their better-fed peers. Undernutrition is the major risk factor underlying over 28% of all deaths in Africa (some 2.9 million deaths annually)

The continuing human costs of inadequate food and nutrition are enormous
and the aggregate costs of food and nutrition insecurity at the national level impose a heavy burden on efforts to foster sustained economic growth and improved general welfare.

The Session on Food and Nutritional Security in Africa buildt on previous efforts to catalyze action towards accelerated and sustained attainment of the ARNS 2015 – 2025 objectives. The objective of the session linked to on-going dialogue on“Assuring Food and Nutrition Security in Africa by 2020: Prioritizing Actions, Strengthening Actors and Facilitating Collaboration”. The key question remains – why Africa attainment of food and nutrition security remains elusive for Africa, and what needs to be done in the short and long-term?

Specifically, the session :

Presented and discussed selected case studies on the status of food and nutritional security in Africa.
Generated context specific actions needed to address food and nutrition insecurity in Africa.
Assessed the status of implementation of the ARNS 2015 – 2025 and indeed STISA 2024 Priority One on reducing poverty and reducing food and nutrition security in relation to National, sub-regional and global frameworks on food security and nutrition, especially STISA 2024 Priority One.
Developed recommendations and modalities that will accelerate implementation of actions in the ARNS 2015 – 2025 and achievement of STISA 2024 Priority One

Panelists

Moderator: Dr. Habiba Hassan-Wassef, Medical Doctor and Nutrition Expert, Egypt
Introduction by highlighting the overall question to be addressed “why Africa attainment of food and nutrition security remains elusive for Africa, and what needs to be done in the short and longterm?”
Lead Speaker: Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director, FARA
Case studies on Global and National level successes and failures in the fight against Food and Nutritional Security: Is the Malabo Declaration helping? What key actions are needed?
Prof. El Dukheri, Director General, Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development
What are key measures that will help buffer food and nutritional security in Africa? What role could Arab-Africa partnership play on this?
Mr. Mphumuzi Sukati, FAO Regional Office for Africa
What are the current nutritional challenges and capacity gaps that should be addressed in support of actions towards better nutritional security for Africa?
Prof. Lise Korsten, Co-Director of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security, University of Pretoria, South Africa
What resources can Africa leverage to better the food and nutrition status?
Professor Anselimo Makokha, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
How can we effectively mobilize political action to support efforts for food security and nutritional issues in Africa: Experiences from FAO?
Dr. Mary Shawa, Principal Secretary of Ministry Gender, Children, Disabilities and Social Welfare in Malawi.

PAEPARD video interview with Prof. El Dukheri, Director General, Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (forthcoming)

Source: PAEPARD FEED

Strengthening sustainable food and nutrition security in Africa

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