“Building resilience in nutrition on the African continent: Accelerating the human capital, social and economic development” with the goal of building continental resilience in nutrition by developing and synergizing the continent’s potential so as to end malnutrition was the theme for the 35th Africa Union (AU) heads of governments and states summit.
Ending malnutrition was among the priority agendas of the 33 rd ordinary summit of the African Union heads of states and governments’ summit with the hope of ending malnutrition and stunting by 2025 as it is a global target set to achieve. But still, Africa is challenged by food insecurity and shortage of nutrition.
This year, the AU summit promotes the theme and inspires the efforts of the continent to attain food security to the people of the continent. Following the summit, Ethiopia announced its commitment to implement the AU theme of nutrition and food security.
In connection with this, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and ministry of Agriculture jointly made a press release and pinpointed that Ethiopia is committed to address food and nutrition insecurity.
The two Ministries praise AU as it has launched the year 2022 as nutrition and food security. They also added that Ethiopia reaffirms the issue considering the timeliness of the theme catalyzes Ethiopia’s commitment in addressing nutrition and food insecurity, which is one of the priority development areas for the country.
Ethiopia recognizes nutrition and food security as the foundation for all development activities and an investment to boost the economic potential of families, communities and nations, the statement noted.
Taking this into account, the government of Ethiopia ascertains availability, economic and physical accessibility and utilization of adequate, safe and nutritious foods at all times to all citizens in a prerequisite for the creation of a productive workforce, improved livelihood, longevity of life, and innovative capacity that would lead to fast economic, social and sustainable development of the country, the statement underlined.
Ethiopia has been implementing consecutive, coordinated and fundamental economic reform programs for the past several years. These economic reforms encourage social and economic developments with progressive improvement in nutrition and food security.
Ethiopia continues its efforts to ensure food and nutrition security since it plays a significant role in sustaining the economic reform gains and to put the economy on solid foundation.
Thus as a member state of AU, Ethiopia sees AU’s year of Nutrition and Food Security as an enabling factor to speed up its current policy and program frameworks to accelerate the economic development and to end all forms of malnutrition.
Ethiopia also sees it as an opportunity to further speed up the overall economic development of the country. Ethiopia identifies implementation of multisectoral food and nutrition coordination and integration, development of legal and accountability framework, investment of sustainable and adequate financing and technology supported increase in nutrition sensitive agricultural production as key enabling factors to accelerate the efforts in food security.
In addition, productivity and nutritioncentered human resource development are the sustainable and key foundations to ensuring a food and nutrition secure nation, the joint ministries argued.
Since nutrition and food security is its core national agenda, Ethiopia reaffirms its commitment to ensure effective implementation of the national, continental and international commitments that contribute in improving the nutrition and food security of its citizens through different interventions including agri-food systems.
Ethiopia is striving to fulfill its food selfsufficiency through investing more on the agriculture sector and expanding the irrigation system. With the continued efforts of irrigation expansion and development mainly in lowland areas of the country over the past three years, Ethiopia is now near to replace its wheat imports.. What is more, in its national green legacy initiative,
Ethiopia gives due attention in planting fruits and vegetable seedlings which have high importance in ensuring food security and nutrition.
Last week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with heads of different international organizations and officials visited summer wheat farming in Jimma Zone of Oromia State.
After visiting the agricultural yields covered by wheat through the cluster farming system, PM Abiy noted that the summer wheat production in the area is appreciable and exemplary. Abiy reiterated that this is part of the country’s journey of fulfilling its food self-sufficiency by exploiting its available resources and substituting imports.
In addition to improving food security and import substitution, the current Ethiopia’s summer wheat production efforts help the small holder farmers to increase their revenue.
During the field visit, officials from international organizations said that Ethiopia’s agricultural potential has the capacity to improve nutrition and food security not only for Ethiopia but also for the African continent.
Attending the field visit with PM Abiy, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Vera Songwe said that Ethiopia has huge potential in the agricultural sector and has the capacity to achieve the 35 th AU summit theme. Ethiopia’s efforts in wheat production is exemplary to achieve the AU summit’s
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
The Ethiopian Herald 16 February 2022
