The NEPAD Agency, in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Regional Strategic Analysis Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe has launched the Global Hunger Index: Africa Report.

The report tracks and reports hunger levels in Africa. It builds on previous related efforts, and is calculated based on four indicators, namely undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality.

Speaking during the launch, the NEPAD Agency CEO, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki reminded guests that the the launch of the Global Hunger Index: Africa Edition report presents a ray of hope in the fight against the scourge of hunger on the continent.

“We have made progresses regarding the implementation of the Malabo Declaration, but we are still far away from achieving the goals. We are still facing issues of extreme hunger, and hence we need to think about strategic frameworks that allow for accelerated implementation. This will be an important lever in fostering transformation on the continent. “For 6 decades, policy makers have left implementation in the hands of experts; this has to change. Our leaders must get involved in implementation, as this is the only way that transformation can be assured,” he said.

The launch, held on the margins of the 29th African Union Summit, aimed to secure buy-in and commitment among policy makers and other stakeholders on the Zero Hunger campaign by promoting the generation and application of GHI data. This commitment from the various stakeholders will aid in fostering evidence-informed interventions, and boost investments in food security and nutrition on the continent. The launch of the GHI provides enhanced impetus in the pursuit towards the continental target of Zero Hunger by 2025 in Africa.

The Zero Hunger by 2025 in Africa is a the target set by African Union in Agenda 2063 and the 2014 Malabo Declaration on agriculture transformation. The GHI study puts the magnitude of the task into perspective and highlights the major levers in policy, investment, technology as well as human and institutional capacity required for addressing hunger on the  continent.

This is what some of the speakers at the launch had to say:

Mrs Amira Elfadil, African Union Commission, Department of Social Affairs Commissioner: “Africa has all the strategies and frameworks to curb hunger in the continent. The challenge however, remains the implementation of these frameworks and strategies. The challenges include lack of commitment in implementation, and budgetary and financial constraints especially because of dependency on donor support. African countries must support each other. We must focus on training and capacity building.”

Dr Namakolo Covic, IFPRI Representative: “We are aware that while under-nutrition is reducing, we are also facing the challenge of obesity increasing. We look forward to working together with the NEPAD Agency and the AU to developing targeted interventions in the fight against hunger on the African continent. I challenge those in this room to work together to monitor progress in the continent, to make sure that we implement the policies and strategies that have been developed for the continent and thereby ensure that we achieve the vision as set out in the Agenda 2063.”

Dr Getaw Tadesse Gebreyohanes, ReSAKSS Representative: It is possible to achieve what the Zero Hunger by 2025 vision proposes. This notwithstanding, we cannot overlook major issues in many countries that if not addressed will impede realization of this vison. We will never be able to achieve zero hunger by doing business as usual. There has to be change.”

Mrs Angeline Rudakubana, Director WFP, Africa Office: “The report has given us clear programme with action plans for everyone of us, Let’s go back to the drawing board and look at what ways of accelerating implementation of the programmes geared at achieving zero hunger. The momentum is high and we should capitalize on this. Let’s talk about hunger in Africa, lets think about our actions, write them on paper, go out in the field and make the change happen.”