Elevating nutrition in Africa’s food systems transformation: the road from Nairobi to Addis Ababa

By Kefilwe Roba Moalosi, SUN Movement Executive Committee member and Senior Nutrition and Food Safety Programme Officer, AUDA NEPAD

As we gear up for the 2nd United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa this July, African countries have sent a resounding message: nutrition must be at the heart of every conversation about transforming food systems and without healthy diets, sustainable development will be out of reach. 

The triple burden of malnutrition remains a major barrier to Africa’s development. Today, more than 30 per cent of children under five in Africa are stunted, while nearly six per cent suffer from wasting. These figures reflect a systemic failure to provide access to affordable, diverse, and nutritious diets. 

In May 2025, food systems convenors from over 20 SUN countries (of which seven also serve as national SUN Focal Points) met in Nairobi to coordinate Africa’s contribution to the global Summit. The message was clear, from production and processing to storage, marketing and consumption, food systems across the continent must become more nutrition-sensitive. This is not only essential for the health and well-being of Africans, it is fundamental to achieving inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. 

The message from the SUN Movement, and reflected by all participants, builds on the principles so clearly articulated in the African Union’s CAADP 2025 Kampala Declaration, which will guide/accelerate  food systems transformation on the continent. Combined with commitments from the recent N4G Summit in Paris, countries are sending a strong signal on a shift to healthy diets and improved nutrition at the core of food systems’ transformation. 

Ministries of health, agriculture and finance are coming together through the national SUN platforms to align policies, pool resources, monitor and track progress toward healthier diets. These multi-stakeholder platforms have become the backbone of food systems coordination in many countries, ensuring that nutrition is not sidelined but integrated into every sector.

Across the SUN Movement, a number of countries are leading by example through interventions that truly power the change. In Botswana, Foodbank Botswana is rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributing it to food-insecure households, tackling both malnutrition, food waste and food loss. Côte d’Ivoire has made the mandatory fortification of staple foods a priority since 1994 and is now piloting iron and folic acid fortification in rice. In Rwanda, a joint venture between the government, the World Food Programme and private sector partners is producing fortified porridge flour for vulnerable populations while supporting over 150,000 smallholder farmers. 

Guinea, Mozambique, and Chad are advancing national fortification strategies, including support for women producers and small-scale processors, while Cameroon is strengthening quality controls and coverage of fortified products. These country-driven initiatives show how nutrition-sensitive food systems can take root when backed by political will, commitment, investment and coordination.   

The Africa UNFSS+4 pre-summit meeting also carried forward the momentum of the Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G Paris), highlighting how each dollar invested in tackling malnutrition yields multiple returns across health, education and economic productivity. Yet challenges remain. Climate shocks, conflict and debt burdens continue to strain national budgets. Continued coordination between SUN, the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, AUDA-NEPAD and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus Coalition will help reflect these realities, bringing in diverse perspectives to focus on fragile contexts, resilient supply chains. 

Civil society voices, led by Agnes Kirabo of the SUN Civil Society Network Alliance in Uganda, reminded delegates that accountability mechanisms are vital: commitments without clear milestones and regular reporting risk fading into the background.

UNFSS+4 will be an important moment to reflect on progress since the 2021 Food Systems Summit, renew commitments, unlock new funding and  forging new partnerships needed to drive change, and position nutrition at the heart of food systems transformation. With only five years left until 2030, the focus must be on driving concrete actions that translate into healthier, more resilient communities in our continent and beyond.