Central African Republic takes steps to revitalize nutrition plans

Stunting is considered a major problem in the Central African Republic, with 39.8 per cent of children younger than 5 affected, according to the 2022 Global Nutrition Report. This is among the highest stunting prevalences in the world, surpassing the Africa regional average of 30.7 per cent. Simultaneously, the country faces a high rate of anaemia among women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years), with 46.8 per cent of women in that age group affected.

While these challenges persist, the Central African Republic has made notable progress in addressing low birth weight and childhood wasting.
Furthermore, the country has been making recent strides in revamping its overall approach to nutrition through its strategic focus on revitalizing networks and introducing new ones, including for donors, the private sector, the media and youth. Leaders are also nearly halfway to establishing regional nutrition committees throughout the country, with the remainder to be installed in 2024. 

To capitalize on this momentum, a recent gathering convened experts to discuss the country’s Joint Annual Assessment (JAA) and chart a path forward. The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Government Focal Point in the Central African Republic, Brigitte Izamo, chaired a capacity-building workshop facilitated by an expert from the SUN Convergence Hub¹ in late November in Bangui, the country’s capital. The workshop drew participants from more than 18 government ministries and members of the UN-Network, the Civil Society Network and the Scientists Network, a collection of academics and researchers in the country.

The JAA, a collaborative process led and driven by countries, enables the tracking of progress against national nutrition targets and the SUN Movement 3.0 strategy, fosters collaboration among networks and encourages the celebration of achievements. The JAA process also provides an opportunity for participants to discuss and reach consensus on bottlenecks and formulate approaches to address them.

After a hiatus of a few years, the recent high-level commitment in the Central African Republic to the JAA process demonstrates a renewed determination to address malnutrition. This process has played a  crucial role in building trust and strengthening accountability among the country's nutrition stakeholders and the existing and new networks – injecting a sense of renewed excitement and potential into the system.

As this year the country is the first one to complete the JAA exercise, securing funding for nutrition programmes remains a major hurdle in the Central African Republic. The next steps for the country include:

• Finalizing the Multisectoral Food Security and Nutrition Plan (2024–2028).
• Leveraging the Parliamentarian Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which plays a pivotal role in advocating for key legislative measures, including the adoption of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes and the country’s food and nutritional security bill.
• Supporting, within the framework of the humanitarian–development nexus, a resilience-oriented approach to nutrition in stabilized and geographically accessible areas within the Humanitarian Response Plan. This approach uses global and regional advocacy efforts to secure needed funding and underscores the integration of humanitarian and development strategies for more effective and sustainable outcomes.

The SUN Government Focal Point in the Central African Republic is placed within the Office of the Prime Minister, providing her with the influence  and authority to champion nutrition. Izamo is the minister and legal adviser to the Prime Minister on good governance and human rights. Under her leadership, a dedicated budget line for nutrition coordination was included and accredited at the level of the prime minister in the national budget, and the country joined the Global Coalition for School Feeding in June 2023.
 

 ¹The SUN Convergence Hub works to accommodate the needs of fragile and conflict-affected SUN Countries, including the Central African Republic.