VIDEO: SMEs in Tanzania have a key role to help end malnutrition

What you need to know:

  • Small and medium-sized enterprises in Tanzania deliver a significant percentage of the foods consumed in Africa.
  • In a 2 dayforum commemorating World Food Day today, discussions at the NutritionAfrica Invest Forum will focus on what nutrition as an investmentspace mean.

Nairobi: In order to tackle the current malnutrition crisis in an effective way, experts believe that small and medium-sized enterprises are part of the solution. At the first of its kind Nutrition Africa Invest Forum (NAIF) new conversations have begun on how to recognize SMEs as a part of this solution to malnutrition.

In commemorating World Food Day today, the forum has brought together investors, investees, donors, government and consumers to highlight business opportunities in a largely under-developed market and to seek what nutrition as an investment space mean in a two day discussionsthat ends tomorrow.

One in three people worldwide suffer from malnutrition, Sub-Saharan Africa having the highest burden, says the Global Nutrition Report.Tanzania also one among the countries faces a serious nutrition-related challenge, of both under-nutrition and obesity. Thereport further states, “The world can’t afford not to act on nutritionor we risk putting the brakes on human development as a whole.”

Why SMEs?

SMEs in Tanzania deliver a significant percentage of the foods consumed in Africa. In an interview with The Citizen, Dominic Schofield, Director Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Canada, explains,  “It happens that the markets that we are interested in, most of the food that people are accessing is actually coming from SMEs. But these businesses are unable to grow, because they don’t have access to finance.” Therefore he further states that there is a great opportunity to create a sustainable food value chain and work through these SMEs, to ensure nutritious foods are accessible and affordable.

Mr Schofield emphasises that our thinking processes need to shift from treating malnutrition, as that is an expensive approach, to preventing malnutrition. And in doing so, SMEs play a huge part in turning our food systems which includes, improved diets, better nutrition, good fats and so forth.

However, a study yet to be published but completed by Dalberg in late 2017, found that for over 300 African SMEs, access to finance came up as the top barrier to the growth and delivery of nutritious foods. Together, GAIN — an international organisation driven by the mission of a world without malnutrition — and Royal DSM — a purpose-led global science-based company active in health, nutrition, and sustainable living — are highlighting the urgency to improve the flow of finance to expand SME efforts in Africa, including Tanzania, at this forum.