Journalists and Communicators Committed to Combating Micronu-trient Deficiencies in Africa

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Extract from the article: The African Journalists and Communicators for Nutrition Initiative (IJCAN) organized a regional workshop on multisectorality and in-tersectoral dialogue in the fight against micronutrient deficiencies in Africa, from September 17 to 19, 2024, in...

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The African Journalists and Communicators for Nutrition Initiative (IJCAN) organized a regional workshop on multisectorality and intersectoral dialogue in the fight against micronutrient deficiencies in Africa, from September 17 to 19, 2024, in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). This event, supported by the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), brought together media professionals and communicators from networks committed to nutrition in 17 countries across West, Central, and Southern Africa. The workshop aimed to strengthen the capacities of journalists and communicators in the fight against micronutrient deficiencies through food fortification and the implementation of multisectoral and intersectoral approaches. Dr. Patricia N’Goran, Nutrition, Food, and Early Childhood Development Advisor at the Presidency of Côte d'Ivoire, opened the proceedings.

Nearly 282 million people in Africa (about 20% of the population) suffer from undernutrition, an increase of 57 million since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of nutritional indicators shows a critical situation in West and Central Africa, with a pace of change that would not meet the targets set for 2030. In 2024, annual trend monitoring by UN agencies estimated that 6.9 million people (compared to 4.3 million in 2023) are affected by global acute malnutrition in six countries of the Sahel (G5 Sahel +1). The number of people affected by severe acute malnutrition was 1.4 million in these same countries. Across the West and Central African region, at least 16.7 million children are affected by acute malnutrition. Stunting affected at least 30% of children under five in 2022, which remains high despite substantial improvement over the past two decades. Micronutrient deficiencies, or "hidden hunger," particularly deficiencies in vitamin A, iodine, iron, and zinc, affect 2 billion people globally across all age and socioeconomic groups. However, women and children are disproportionately affected. For example, the prevalence of anemia among adult women remains high in West and Central Africa, with one in two women suffering from anemia due to micronutrient deficiencies (iron, iodine, zinc, vitamin A, and folates). Nearly half of African children under five suffer from vitamin A deficiency; 60% suffer from anemia, often caused by iron deficiency; and 25% are zinc deficient (source: WHO).

To address the challenge of improving nutritional indicators in all their forms and ending hunger by 2030, collective efforts are needed at both the national and regional levels. The commitment of various actors—UN agencies, academics, parliamentarians, journalists/communicators, civil society, and the private sector—is essential to hope for a reversal of trends with a multi-partner, multisectoral approach. This is the focus of the SUN Movement since its launch in 2010. The movement promotes the establishment of specific groups to support the fight against malnutrition. It has supported some countries in establishing a regional network of journalists and communicators committed to nutrition. "IJCAN is a network that leverages the power of the media as a powerful agent of change, both at the community level and among decision-makers, to effectively prioritize nutrition. To enable them to fully play their role, IJCAN members need to be strengthened in several areas related to the fight against malnutrition in all its forms. This is why we organized this capacity-building workshop on multisectoral and intersectoral approaches to combat micronutrient deficiencies through food fortification," explained Mrs. Kaboré Judith, Country Action Specialist of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Hub for Francophone Africa.

Presentations

Over the three days, several presentations were made by experts from CRS, the SUN Movement, the Association of Industrialists of the Oilseeds Sector (AIFO) of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, and the Economic Community of West African States. Among others: "Micronutrient Deficiency: Conceptual Definition, Overview, and Challenges"; "Food Fortification: Conceptual Definition & Challenges"; "Multisectorality: Definition & Current Implementation of the Approach"; "Intersectoral Dialogue: Definition & Current Implementation of the Approach"; "Communication Needs in the Fight Against Malnutrition."

African Journalists and Communicators for Nutrition Initiative

The Abidjan meeting allowed IJCAN leaders to reaffirm their goals and ideals. "IJCAN is a young organization with great ambitions in the fight against malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, realities that undermine the health of populations and the development of the continent. Our mission is to inform, educate, and contribute to reversing the current trend," said Issa Ouattara, IJCAN Coordinator.

At the end of the workshop, participants developed and shared messages to mobilize the population around nutrition through social media. They also prepared a roadmap focusing on three key areas: capacity building, community actions, and advocacy. This roadmap will be implemented by the country networks represented at the workshop.

Gadiel TSONYADZI