The Cost of Hunger in Chad reveals 9.5% of GDP is lost due to the effects of undernutrition

On 12 October 2016, a public ceremony was held N’Djamena, Chad, to launched the new report titled “The Cost of Hunger in Africa: the Social and Economic Impact of Child Undernutrition on Chad’s Long-Term Development“. The event was organised by Chad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy and Planning and Development along with partners working against hunger and malnutrition.

For the full report in French, please click here.

This Cost of Hunger (COH) report reveals that 9.5% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product is being lost due to the effects of child undernutrition. The vast amounts are being lost through increased healthcare costs, additional burdens on the education system and lower productivity by the workforce.

The report argues that for Chad to achieve sustainable human and economic growth, special attention must be given to the early stages of life, as a foundation of human capital. Without measures to combat and eliminate undernutrition, the cost to Chad will only escalate.

Africa and Chad in particular has the potential to reap a demographic dividend from a young, educated and skilled work force. But this potential can only be harnessed if the gains of early investments in the health and nutrition of its people, particularly its women and children, are maintained and result in the desired economic growth,”

Margaret Agama-Anyetei, Head of the African Union’s Division for Health, Nutrition and Population.

Learn more about the launch: Relief web, Tchad info

The first report of the Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA) Study was launched on 28 March 2014 in Abuja, Nigeria, where experts gathered to review results of the report covering Egypt, Ethiopia, Swaziland and Uganda. The studies are led by the African Union Commission in partnership with AU member states, and supported by the African Union Commission, Economic Commission for Africa, the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

In addition to the regional study of four countries, Chad’s study joins country specific studies from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda. Plans are in place for the study to be completed in Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali,  Mauritania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Learn more about the Cost of Hunger in Africa: The Cost of Hunger in Africa