The African Development Bank has signed an agreement with Ethiopia to provide USD 31.2 million in aid. The agreement was signed by State Minister of Finance Yasmin Wohabrebbi and the African Development Bank’s Eastern Africa Deputy Director, Dr. Abdu Kamara.
The financing is going to be used to address child malnutrition and stunting issues in Ethiopia. According to recent reports from the World Food Programme (WFP), Ethiopia has a child stunting rate of approximately 38 percent; an alarming number by any standard.
As such, efforts are going to be directed towards the provision of nutritious foods, raise awareness around nutrition, and increasing the prevalence of breastfeeding and hygienic practices related to food.
Tigray and Amhara are going to be the primary areas of focus of the agreement as recent reports indicate that these areas are suffering extremely from issues related to malnutrition. Stunting in the Amhara region stands at 46.3 percent while it stands at 46.9 percent in the Tigray region.
The agreement mirrors efforts being made within the private sector to address similar issues. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the WFP launched the Scale-Up Nutrition Business Network (SBN) in Ethiopia with the aim to address similar issues by creating an integrated private sector block.
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