Zambia

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On 22 December 2010, the Republic of Zambia joined the SUN Movement with a letter of commitment from the Minister of Health. At the time, Zambia had established the National Food and Nutrition Commission as the convening body to coordinate action on nutrition. The National Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan (2011 – 2015) had been developed by the commission with participation from multiple sectors and with support from development partners who were participating in the Nutrition Cooperating Partners’ Group.

Progress

Bringing people together

89% 2019

Bringing people together

Coherent policy and legal framework

49% 2019

Coherent policy and legal framework

Aligning programs around a Common Results Framework

69% 2019

Aligning programs around a Common Results Framework

Financial tracking and resource mobilization

63% 2019

Financial tracking and resource mobilization

TOTAL

68% 2019

TOTAL

Millions of refugees across Africa face even greater food insecurity amid COVID-19 crisis

July 15, 2020

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Impacts of COVID-19 on SMEs in the food system

May 22, 2020

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Building nutrition leadership skills in SUN countries

July 31, 2019

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Reducing stunting through multisectoral efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa

July 18, 2019

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The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement: striving for impact at scale

June 24, 2019

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Nine new SUN Movement countries will join the Global Financing Facility

May 22, 2019

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What does it take to sustain Scaling Up Nutrition? Some reflections from Zambia

February 6, 2018 0

At the end of 2017, Concern, along with CARE and other nutrition stakeholders, developed three case studies to look at different aspects of the SUN Movement in Zambia and work out what it takes to sustain Scaling Up Nutrition. We examined the coordination and alignment across sectors at the level of implementation, the willingness of government and donors to cooperation and collaborate in their interventions and the role of civil society in SUN.

Discovering myself as a Leader – By Ralf Siwiti

May 16, 2017 3

It’s a month now since I completed the African Nutrition Leadership Programme (ANLP) at Elgro River Lodge in Potchefstroom, South Africa. It’s an intense 10 days of learning sessions, team activities and responsibilities that stretch the very limits of an individual in the best possible way. The analogy that comes to mind is “gold tried by fire”. Yes, the more I think about it, that analogy of purifying gold in intense fire sums up my ANLP experience because I really emerged a shining better, bright and vibrant leader!

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Nutrition situation

34.6%

Under Five Stunting

4.2%

Under Five Wasting

5.2%

Under Five Overweight

69.9%

0-5 Months Exclusive Breastfeeding

33.7%

Woman Anaemia 15-49 years

7.8%

Adolescent Overweight Male

16%

Adolescent Overweight Female

16.1%

Adult Overweight Male

24.6%

Adult Overweight Female

3.7%

Adult Obesity Male

13%

Adult Obesity Female

6.5%

Adult Diabetes Male

6.7%

Adult Diabetes Female

Nutrition Data Definitions

Strategic objectives

The national multi-stakeholder platform (MSP) continues to convene meetings with all SUN Networks. Provincial Nutrition Coordinating Committees (NCCs) have been established in seven provinces and multi-sectoral nutrition plans are developed. District NCCs have been formed in districts beyond the current SUN-funded districts. The Civil Society, Donor, and Business Networks have expanded and brought more players on board. New members of parliament were sensitised on food and nutrition issues and asked to act as nutrition champions in their respective constituencies.

Last updated: November 2017

2016

In Zambia, the national Multi-Stakeholder Platform has been strengthened, with the designation of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health as chair by the Special Committee of Permanent Secretaries in November 2015. The District Nutrition Coordinating Committees (DNCC) are being expanded to new districts beyond the current 14, and ad hoc Provincial Nutrition Coordinating Committees are also in place. To sustain these structures, there is need to formalise coordination structures at the subnational level and further internalise the multi-sectoral approach within ministries.

Last updated: December 2016

2015

In Zambia, the National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC), under the Ministry of Health, is the national multi-stakeholder platform (MSP) which bring partners together for nutrition. Five line ministries have designated Focal Points for Nutrition to galvanise coordination.
A special Permanent Secretaries Committee has been appointed at the Cabinet level and is represented by nine Ministries (Health; Education; Agriculture and Livestock; Community Development, Mother and Child Health; Local Government and Housing; Gender and Child Development; Finance; and Youth and Sport). The Permanent Secretaries Committee convenes regularly to discuss multi-sectoral issues and nutrition is included within their remit. The mutli-stakeholder coordinating structure has been decentralised with the establishment of Provincial Nutrition Coordinating Committees (PNCCs) and Districts Nutrition Coordinating Committees (DNCCs). 14 Districts have also commenced the process of establishing Ward Nutrition Coordinating Committees (WNCCs).

The Nutrition Cooperating Partners (NCPs) Forum includes the United Nations system, and donors.

The civil society alliance, CSO-SUN, has inspired the organisation of parliamentarians through the formation of the All Party Parliamentary caucus on Food and Nutrition which brings together parliamentarians from different parties to have a coordinated voice for nutrition on the floor of the parliament. The recently established Business Network has over 22 member organisations. A new Academic Network has developed Terms of Reference and a Scope of Work towards development of the national research agenda.

Last updated: October 2015

Several pieces of legislation whose review processes commenced in the last two to three years remain unfinished including the Food and Nutrition Bill, and the Food Safety Bill. However, a new agriculture policy was completed while the development of social protection guidelines is progressing. The SUN Donor Network launched an initiative to undertake an economic analysis of the current policies and regulatory frameworks to find entry points for nutrition. The National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC) developed a nutrition-sensitive framework to inform the planning for the medium-term expenditure framework 2018-2020.

Last updated: November 2017

2016

A draft Food and Nutrition Bill has been developed after a series of consultations with stakeholders. It has been approved by the Cabinet and awaits approval by the Parliament. The current Food and Nutrition Policy was adopted in 2006 and is earmarked for review in 2016, alongside the National Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan 2011-2015. The active engagement of politicians, especially at parliamentary level has helped raise the profile of nutrition.

Last updated: December 2016

2015

Plans are underway to revise the National Food and Nutrition Policy (NFNC) 2006. Stakeholders were engaged in a consultative process to review the NFNC Act of 1967 in order to broaden the law for a multi-sectoral response to the nutritional problems affecting various sub-populations.
Mechanisms are in place to enforce legislations such as the Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, food fortification, and maternity protection.

Nutrition has been integrated into the Revised Sixth National Development Plan 2013-2016 (R-SNDP) by its mainstreaming across all sector specific implementation plans of the R-SNDP (in addition to Governance, HIV and AIDS, Gender, Disability and Environment and Disaster Risk Management). The R-SNDP is aimed at achieving the objectives set out in the Vision 2030 of becoming a “Prosperous middle-income country by 2030”.

Nutrition is mainstreamed in several sectoral policies including:

National Health Policy
National Health Strategic Plan
National Agricultural Policy
Agriculture Investment Plan, and
Social Protection Policy.

The Food and Drugs Act is under review and is expected to be re-established as the Food Safety Bill.

Last updated: October 2015

The development of the ‘First 1,000 Most Critical Days Programme’ for 2017-2021 (MCDP Phase 2) commenced with a revised results framework, and the programme is anchored in the National Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan (NFNSP) 2017-2021. Annual costed work plans are in place at the national level and in the 14 SUN-funded districts. A joint annual review brought together stakeholders of the MCDP and focused on key elements of monitoring and evaluation. Review findings will inform the roll-out of MCDP Phase 2.

Last updated: November 2017

2016

Components of the Common Results Framework are in place as per the First 1,000 Most Critical Days Programme and the National Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan 2011-2015. However, the accountability component is yet to be developed. A Joint Annual Review was undertaken in October 2015 by nutrition development partners and the Government, focusing on 14 districts although it needs to be expanded to all districts with nutritionspecific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. From the joint supportive visits carried out in November 2015 by multi-sectoral technical teams, good practices emerged that need to be documented.

Last updated: December 2016

2015

The National Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan (NFNSP) 2011-2015 compliments the National Food and Nutrition Policy and is the common results framework (CRF) by which all supporting stakeholders are aligning behind. It includes eight operational strategies and three supportive strategic directions (SD) with a complete implementation matrix and a monitoring and evaluation framework. SD 1 “Prevention of Stunting in Children Under two Years of Age: First 1000 Most Critical Days” has a fullyfledged programme developed called the 1st 1000 Most Critical Days Programme (MCDP) to be implemented over a three year period. With the support and facilitation of the national level, provincial and the district nutrition multisectoral plans for the 1st 1000 MCDP have been developed. Two-year (2014-2016) DNCCs multi-sectoral nutrition plans have been costed based on the minimum package.
The minimum package of interventions under the 1st 1000 MCDP comprises of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive that are also aligned to the results of the R-SNDP.

Zambia recognises that in order to enhance the capacity of the different implementing institutions, different capacity interventions have been developed and are in the process of being implemented. They will cover institutions at both national and subnational levels.

Last updated: October 2015

Although the national budget has doubled since 2012 overall, governmental allocations for nutrition remain stagnant and have declined in some cases. The NFNC and partners including the SUN CSO Network developed a budget tracking framework and reviewed financial commitments for nutrition from 2013-2017. Findings were presented to the Parliamentary Expanded Committee on Estimates and Expenditure who pledged their increased attention to nutrition. A workshop organised by Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III (FANTA) led to a 2017-2027 Profiles Model, which will serve as the basis for advocacy on nutrition. The model was developed in line with the national, regional and global nutrition targets.

Last updated: November 2017

2016

A budget tracking exercise tracking resource allocations for nutrition-specific and sensitive programmes was conducted in 2015-2016 with support from civil society. The findings, which included the need for institutionalising the reporting obligation, were shared with various key stakeholders, such as the Special Permanent Secretaries’ Committee on Nutrition. The SUN Donor Network has advocated for an increased number of donors to fund nutrition via the incountry SUN fund mechanism, resulting in more donors supporting SUN priority interventions.

Last updated: December 2016

2015

The NFNSP has been partially costed for the minimum package and recommended scenarios to guide resource mobilisation for the First 1000 MCDP which is based on SD1 with technical support from the World Bank. More work is needed in the area of costing, especially related to nutrition-sensitive interventions which have limitations in cost assumptions. The NFNC along with key line Ministries and CSO-SUN have proposed to address this by costing district level activities for some nutritionsensitive interventions in the minimum package to help bridge the gap on the costing report of the World Bank. The pooled fund, SUN Fund Management Unit (SFMU), will support the NFNC to contract experts to undertake fiscal space analysis to identify the financial gap which will assist in the planning for resource mobilisation to scale up the programmes nationwide.
NCPs are planning to map the available funds among its members for nutrition on a yearly basis in order to help improve accountability of funds for nutrition from all stakeholders. In addition, the process of having independent audits has also been initiated by the SFMU.

Last updated: October 2015