Investing in nutrition at the national level: an African perspective

Abstract

Investing in nutrition requires conducive political, economic, technological, and social environments, all which are determined by economic, moral, and ethical considerations. Investing in nutrition not only yields economic returns, but should be considered as a human right. The author presents an African perspective at the national level, using Tanzania as an example of ways in which the impact and quality of various interventions can be maximized through increasing investments in nutrition. Africa's fluid development, emerging hopes, Tanzania's experience in investing in nutrition, a framework for investing in nutrition, financial investments in nutrition, human resource investments in nutrition, organizational investments in nutrition, and the programmatic context and costs of maximizing quality and impact are discussed. It may be learned from the Tanzanian experience in investing in nutrition that investing in community-based interventions is a most cost-beneficial approach, and that investing in a social-action package including advocacy and communication, community-based information systems, targeted and gender-sensitive education, and training and service delivery can cost-effectively achieve quality, impact, and sustainability. Other insight is discussed.