The Republic of Sudan has today launched The Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA)-Sudan report. The report was launched through the National Council for Child Welfare, which is the implementing body and coordinating partner for the COHA in Sudan. The COHA study was undertaken in Sudan from October 2018 to December 2019 and the launch of the report was graced by Hon. Minister of Labor and Social Development Mad. Lena Elsheikh.
“This COHA programme is a priority for us in the government and the outcomes and indicators in this report are very important as we seek to review the policies relating to children. We need to start this programme this year and it is our commitment in the ministry to achieve the agenda of sustainable development and have a quick response to fix this situation in order to contribute to social and economic development,” emphasized Hon. Lena Elsheikh.
The Sudan COHA results will be instrumental in positioning nutrition as a multi-sectoral development issue, helping stimulate national discourse on nutrition, inform concrete policy actions, and affirm national political commitment to increase multi-sectoral investments in nutrition. The study also shows the possible economic returns that can be gained if appropriate investments in nutrition are undertaken. Sudan is among the twenty-one member states that have so far completed the study.
The Cost of Hunger in Africa studies aim to generate evidence to inform key decision-makers and the general public about the cost African societies incur for not addressing the problem of child undernutrition. The results provide compelling evidence to guide policy dialogue and increase advocacy for the prevention of child undernutrition.
The statement of H.E Amira El Fadil, Commissioner for Social Affairs, was delivered virtually by Dr. Margaret Agama-Anyetei, Head of Division for Health, Nutrition and Population. H.E Amira El Fadil, acknowledged that good nutrition contributes to good health in children and is a prerequisite for any nation’s economic productivity. “The intertwined relationship between nutrition security, poverty and development, recognizes that long-term nutrition security, is a function of decisive policies and actions that cut across a broad spectrum of sectors.”
In March 2012, the regional COHA study was presented to African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development at the 5th Joint African Union (AU) and Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference of Ministers of Economic Planning and Finance held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At the meeting, the Ministers issued a resolution affirming the importance of the Study and recommending its advancement beyond the initial stage. The study has been a useful tool for policy making, improving nutritional data analysis, and developing national analytical capacity.
Note to Editor:
The Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA) is a project led by the African Union Commission (AUC) and Africa Union Development Agency - The New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and supported by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the UN World Food Programme (WFP). It is a multi-country study aimed at estimating the economic and social impacts of child undernutrition in Africa and the associated economic losses in health, education and potential productivity in a single year. The study to date has been undertaken by 21 member states of the AU.
Further information should be directed to:
Dr. Margaret Agama-Anyetei, Head of Division for Health, Nutrition and Population; Social Affairs Department; AU Commission; Tel: +251115162211; E-mail: Agama-AnyeteiM@africa-union.org
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For further media inquiries, please contact:
1. Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou | Head of Information Division | Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission | Mobile: +251911361185 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org
2. Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Directorate of Information and Communications (DIC) | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org
3. Ms. Dorothy Njagi | Strategic Communication Expert, CARMMA, Division for Health, Nutrition and Population | Department of Social Affairs, African Union Commission | Mobile: +254721529181 | E-mail: njagid@africa-union.org
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