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KAMPALA – Uganda loses some UGS 1.8 trillion (US$899 million) annually – as much as 5.6 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product – due to the effects of malnutrition. This is the alarming finding of a new study entitled The Cost of Hunger in Africa, published in Uganda today.
The study was conducted by the Government of Uganda with the support of the African Union Commission including New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the UN World Food Programme (WFP). It underlines that undernutrition is not just a health issue, but an economic one as well.
Using data from 2009, the study measured the losses to the Ugandan economy caused by child undernutrition, particularly the effects of stunting or chronic malnutrition. Stunting, or being short for your age (low-height-forage), results when children miss out on critical nutrients including proteins, vitamins and minerals, while in the womb or in the first five years of life. People affected by stunting are more likely in later life to be sickly, to perform poorly at school or drop out of classes, to be less productive at work and to die early.
The study found that treating diarrhoea, anaemia, respiratory infections and other clinical conditions related to malnutrition cost Uganda UGS 526 billion (US$254 million). Losses in productivity reached UGS 417 billion (US$201 million) in manual sectors, such as agriculture, and UGS 241 (US$ 116 million) in non-manual activities, due to lower educational levels. In the educational sector, the study estimated that 7 per cent of all repetitions in school are associated with stunting. This represented 134,000 repetitions for an estimated cost of UGS 20 billion (US$9.5 million), for the government and the families.
The study also estimated that child mortality associated to under nutrition reduced Uganda’s labour force by 3.8 per cent. This represents over 943 million working hours lost due to an absent workforce brought about by early deaths. This cost Uganda nearly UGS657 billion (US$317 million). “These are extremely worrying findings,” says Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, whose office participated in the study. “They will guide the Government of Uganda towards adopting policies that prevent unnecessary losses of human and economic potential.”
To download the report, click here
Close to 70% of journalists’ in Uganda have not had any form of training in nutrition reporting much as they broadcast or publish nutrition stories. Thus media’s capacity in informing the nation about nutrition issues needs to be improved.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten health and food systems around the world, the 2020 Global Nutrition Report calls on governments, businesses and civil society to step up efforts to address malnutrition in all its forms.
Although the 2020 Global Nutrition Report was written before the current coronavirus pandemic, its emphasis on nutritional well-being for all, particularly the most vulnerable, has a heightened significance in the face of this new global threat. The need for more equitable, resilient and sustainable food and health systems has never been more urgent.
UN launches USD2 billion global humanitarian response to fight COVID-19 in 51 countries across South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia
NEW YORK, 25 March 2020 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today launched a $2 billion coordinated global humanitarian response plan to fight COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries in a bid to protect millions of people and stop the virus from circling back around the globe.
COVID-19 has killed more than 16,000 people worldwide and there are nearly 400,000 reported cases. It has a foothold across the globe and is now reaching countries that were already facing humanitarian crisis because of conflict, natural disasters and climate change.
The response plan will be implemented by UN agencies, with international NGOs and NGO consortia playing a direct role in the response. It will:
You can read more here