Addis Ababa:Former Deputy Prime Minister and YADAM Foundation Board Chairman Demeke Mekonnen has urged African countries to enhance domestic resource mobilization and adopt innovative financing strategies to tackle malnutrition.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Demeke emphasized the need for African governments to move away from fragmented and short-term funding strategies and instead focus on sustainable mechanisms that effectively utilize available resources. He made these remarks at the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Nutrition in Addis Ababa, where he highlighted Ethiopia's efforts under the Seqota Declaration, targeting the mobilization of $638 million for nutrition reforms by 2030.
Demeke stressed the importance of government commitment translating into concrete actions, such as dedicated budget allocations, coordinated sectoral implementation, rigorous expenditure tracking, and accountability for results. He praised Ethiopia's Ministry of Finance for its role in securing funds for the Seqota Declaration and national nutrition initiatives.
The former Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed Ethiopia's dedication to eliminating stunting in children under two and called for accelerated implementation of national food and nutrition policies. He highlighted the vital roles of governments, development partners, the private sector, and communities in sustainable nutrition financing, urging integration of nutrition priorities into national budgets and multiyear frameworks.
Demeke underscored the need for evidence-based economic analyses to show the costs of hunger and the benefits of investing in nutrition. He encouraged the demonstration of economic and social returns from nutrition investments to close funding gaps and prioritize programs that bolster human capital.
He also called for practical roadmaps and investment cases to engage finance ministries, development banks, and private investors in mobilizing resources for nutrition programs. The dialogue, held from October 12 to 16, included representatives from several African countries and aimed to validate tools for nutrition investment cases and establish sustainable financing mechanisms. Participants worked on developing roadmaps to support nutrition programs across the region.
