Nutrition’s investment opportunity
Former Tanzania president Jakaya Kikwete, nutrition champion, speaking during the first day of Nutrition Africa Invest Forum (NAIF). Photo: Tasneem Hassanali
What you need to know:
- SMEs are facing a lot of challenges which impede growth and their very survival but at the same time they play a huge part in ending malnutrition burden in the country.
- It also makes a lot of economic sense to venture into this business because majority of the food accessed and consumed by people come from the SMEs.
Nairobi. Every year, the double burden of malnutrition claims lives of millions of children under the age of five in Tanzania. The rate is at 67 deaths per 1,000 live births, partly attributed to malnutrition in the under-five children.
Experts say and evidence shows that investing in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life is critical to saving a life. During the Nutrition Africa Invest Forum (NAIF) held yesterday, new conversations were highlighted on investing in nutrition development, to offer countries such as Tanzania some of the highest development returns.
For example, investing in addressing key micro-nutrient deficiencies in low-income food markets would unlock a market valued at between $155 and $265 billion globally.
On such a note, lack of nutritious food has come at a huge loss to Tanzania due to the burden of nutrition related non-communicable diseases and the burden of malnutrition. Also, the role of small and medium-sized enterprises in Tanzania were a focal point on ensuring accessibility and affordability of nutritious foods.
Addressing attendees at the NAIF on World Food Day yesterday, Tanzania’s former President Jakaya Kikwete, who is also the Nutrition Champion, said: “SMEs can play a pivotal role in ensuring availability of enough good quality food. They are already playing a significant role, but I believe they can do more on agricultural production, fishing, food processing, food fortification and trading in food and nutrition products.”
