African Union Year of Nutrition

The African Union (AU) has designated the Year of Nutrition -- with the theme “Strengthening resilience in nutrition and food security on the African continent: Strengthening agro-food systems, health and social protection systems for the acceleration of human, social and economic capital development."

This theme supports the AU's long-term vision set out in Agenda 2063, through which the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union has adopted common African aspirations, drawing on the potential of its populations on human capital development with well-nourished citizens and in good health with a particular emphasis on women, adolescents and children. Human capital is, the AU has identified, key for development as it leads to improved lives for individuals, higher earnings and improved incomes for countries.

While Africa’s share in the world’s undernourished population has decreased from 35.5% in 1990 to 22% in 2019, this alarming rate, says the AU, still calls for stronger efforts to improve food security and nutrition in the continent.

According to the AU's Year of Nutrition concept brief, stunting among children under the age of five remains a key challenge in Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of assessing severity of malnutrition, half of African Member States have high to very high (over 30%) prevalence of childhood stunting with only 7 Member States having a low prevalence (less than 19%). Based on the current status, most African Union member states are unlikely to reach the Malabo declaration by 2025. In 2019, Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Biennial Review Report findings show that, out of the 45 member states that reported progress, only 7 are on track of reducing stunting to the set target of 10%. On the target to reduce underweight to 5%, out of the 33 Member States that reported progress on this indicator, only 8 are on track.

AU Continental Nutrition Accountability Scorecard

The Continental Nutrition Accountability Scorecard launched by the African Union and the Africa Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) in 2019 (Assembly/AU/Dec.739(XXXII), presents data indicating that:

• Globally, 150.8 million children under 5 years are stunted, and 58.7 million of those stunted are in Africa.
• Only 7 member states have stunting rates below 19%.
• 15 member states have child wasting prevalence below 5%.
• 38 Members States have women’s anemia prevalence rates of more than 30%
• 18 member states have at least 50% of infants exclusively breastfed.
• 20 member states have more than 70% prevalence rates for vitamin A coverage.

Action: AU Year of Nutrition

The Scaling Up Nutrition Movement is working with our members and partners to support AU Year of Nutrition as a mechanism to scale up nutrition action and finance across the continent. 

This includes working with our nutrition partners in the African Union Commission and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), and the African Leaders for Nutrition (an initiative of the African Development Bank) to advance specific AU Year of Nutrition actions. 

Watch this webinar for more information about AU Year of Nutrition and how you can become involved.