Malnutrition in the OIC Member
Countries: A Trap for Poverty
to address the root causes of poor nutrition and eventually remove the need for nutrition
programmes.
When developing the policy, several countries including Senegal, Ethiopia or Rwanda which
have all witnessed a significant decline in rates of stunting over the recent years, were
examined to identify key factors in the rapid decrease in stunting rates. Critical factors
included having an explicit prioritisation of nutrition at the highest level of political leadership,
having a government system of accountability for delivering on nutrition, ensuring that there
is primary health care at the community level across the country and making sure all health
workers are focusing on nutrition. In terms of nutrition sensitive actions, these three countries
also specifically and actively addressed food security, focusing on participatory rural
development and developing strong community structures; a strong focus on school
enrolment, especially for girls, as well as other programmes to facilitate women's
empowerment and a significant investment in social protection programmes were all
identified as key factors for these countries' success (African Union 2015).
The African Union 2015-2025 nutrition strategy uses all six World Health Assembly Targets
for monitoring progress.
NewPartnership fo r Africa's Development (NEPAD)
NEPAD was developed as many African leaders realised that a new, holistic approach to the
way Africa conducted its affairs was needed in order to bring about real change in term of food
security on the continent. The NEPAD strategic framework was developed to help Africa move
forwards in terms of improved economic management, social stability and improved adoption
of new technologies. NEPAD supports trade liberalisation, assuming that there is a level
playing field for all (Notenbaert, Massawe, and Herrero 2010).
NEPAD integrates three previous plans: The Millennium Partnership for the African Recovery
Programme (MAP), the OMEGA plan for African development and the New African Initiative
which endeavoured to bring together the other two. This was then expanded into what is now
NEPAD and was ratified by the African Union in 2002 (“New Partnership For Africa's
Development (NEPAD] |African Union” 2016). NEPAD's vision for agriculture is to see Africa's
largest sector become instrumental in helping achieve a self-sufficient and economically
productive Africa that can participate fully in the world economy.
Specific goals in NEPAD's strategy include:
• Improved productivity of agriculture especially focusing on women and small scale
holders.
• Ensuring food and nutrition security for all people.
• Promoting environmental protection and preventing natural resource degradation.
• Transforming Africa into a net exporter of agricultural products and improving the
poor's access to both national and export markets (Notenbaert, Massawe, and Herrero
2010).
The NEPAD Agency, established in 2010, is the planning and coordinating agency tasked with
implementing NEPAD and integrating it into other AU processes, aiming to provide an African
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