{"id":262905,"date":"2016-10-30T10:18:34","date_gmt":"2016-10-30T10:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=262905"},"modified":"2016-10-30T10:18:34","modified_gmt":"2016-10-30T10:18:34","slug":"the-global-panel-launches-new-foresight-report-on-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/10\/the-global-panel-launches-new-foresight-report-on-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"The Global Panel launches new Foresight Report on Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, an independent group of influential experts with a commitment to tackling global challenges in food and nutrition security has launched its Foresight Report for Africa titled \u2018Food Systems and Diets: Facing the Challenges of the 21st Century\u2019 as part of the 7th Africa Day For Food And Nutrition Security (ADFNS).<\/p>\n
The 2016 ADFNS celebration is on the theme: \u2018Investing in Food Systems for Improving Child Nutrition: Key to Africa\u2019s Renaissance\u2019.<\/p>\n
The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition was established in August 2013 as an independent group of senior experts.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n Its main aim is to provide guidance to decision-makers, particularly governments, and to inform and promote agricultural and food policies as well as investment for improved nutrition in low and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n The Global Panel is jointly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development.<\/p>\n Former Director of the Ghana Health Service and Chair for the Launch, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, kick-started the event by welcoming all present with a presentation on Scaling up Nutrition in Ghana.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Former Minister of Information, Education and Democracy, Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee came next with the opening address. The Director of the Global Panel, Professor Sandy Thomas, followed with a presentation on key findings gathered from the Foresight Report.<\/p>\n The Foresight Report outlines the toll that malnutrition takes on today\u2019s individuals, nations and economies; and forecasts the expanding costs and consequences bound to be faced should these trends continue.<\/p>\n It also contains guidelines to aid governments and decision-makers in creating food systems that will promote health and deliver quality diets.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The Report further states the increase of malnutrition across Africa, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa with a prediction of 216 million undernourished people in sub-Saharan Africa by the year 2030, if the current trends are not reformed.<\/p>\n It also states that the number of stunted children under the age of five is rising by 500,000 every year; and names chronic malnutrition as one of the causes of nearly half of the child deaths occurring within sub-Saharan Africa in 2015.<\/p>\n According to the Report, investing in nutrition; especially for mothers, infants and children; will lead to enlarged gains since good nutrition in infants and children supports cognitive development and will equip them to grab economic opportunities in the labour market in the future.<\/p>\n