African Ambassadors Briefed on Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA) Study

Representatives from nine participating countries, including H.E. the Ambassador from Malawi and H.E. the Ambassador from Cameroon, as well as high-level representatives from Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, Rwanda, Swaziland, and Uganda joined H.E. Commissioner of Social Affairs Dr Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko for a briefing meeting on the Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA) study at the African Union on 7 March 2013.
The Cost of Hunger Study in Africa (COHA) study is a project led by the African Union Commission and supported by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the World Food Programme (WFP), which aims to estimate the economic and social impacts of child under-nutrition in Africa. The study is nearly completed in four phase-one countries, Egypt, Ethiopia, Swaziland, and Uganda, and is underway in eight additional countries, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Mauritania.
The program was opened by H.E. Commissioner Dr. Kaloko who welcomed the participants and affirmed his personal commitment to the COHA project, citing his background as a medical doctor, and his commitment to development on the continent.
Ambassador Abdoulaye Diop, Director of the WFP Liaison Office to the AU and ECA, commended the African Union and congratulated the participating countries on the progress made so far. “The African Union, through the leadership of Commissioner Kaloko has been quite impressive and we want to commend and salute your commitment and dedication,” he said. “WFP looks forward to the next steps of the project, as additional countries will implement the study. Countries [can also] begin to participate in implementing policy frameworks and also interventions to address child under-nutrition, not only as a health or social issue but broadly as an economic, or even as a development issue.”
Speaking on behalf of the UNECA, the technical organization leading the implementation of the project, Chief of Agriculture, Food Security and Land, Dr Adama Couliabaly, spoke about the initial results, “We hope that with the support of all of you, that these preliminary results…be strengthened and extended [and] be a space for more informed and more improved decision making at the global level.”
Following a technical presentation of preliminary results by Mr Carlos Acosta, Lead Technical Expert for the COHA study, country representatives shared reactions, questions and words of support for the project. H.E. Ambassador of Malawi Dr Isaac Munilo commended the initiative and highlighted the need for coordinating and synergizing food and nutrition initiatives for increased impact.
Dr Ademola Olajide, Head of the Health, Nutrition and Population Division of the AUC, then provided a summary of the way forward. He highlighted that this study is a priority for the African Union as a way to use the results to advocate at the regional and country level for increased investments in nutrition. Dr Ademola noted, “As we are moving forward for developing the post-2015 agenda, nutrition now has to begin to be situated, not just as a rights issue, but also in a development and a sustainable economic growth agenda.” Dr Ademola also highlighted Ambassador Munilo’s call for synergizing food and nutation security initiatives on the continent.
The initial results of the COHA study will next be presented at a breakfast meeting on the margins of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance and Economic Planning in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on 26 March 2013.
Commissioner Kaloko closed the session with a call to action for the AU Commission, partners and member states, explaining, “When I started off I told you that for me, COHA was a wakeup call. Now, you can just imagine if COHA is done in all the 54 African members’ states…We have this data. And now we are worrying about our young people, what we are going to do with them, in our post 2015 agenda. This is the place to start.”