Malawi VP Chilima leads African leaders to discuss ways to beat hunger and malnutrition

StateVice President Dr Saulos Kalus Chilima on Tuesday co-chaired  with  Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, Minister of State for Planning and Development of Benin,the first meeting for  high-level decision-makers from African countries and international development partners to discuss strategies for beating hunger and malnutrition.

The Malabo Montpellier Forum is  taking place in Cotonou, Benin

“We are delighted to host the inaugural meeting of The Malabo Montpellier Forum in Benin. The African Union and Malabo Declaration have set us some clear goals, including to increase agricultural productivity, halve poverty, and end hunger. In order to successfully meet these targets, it will be crucial to work together,” said Chilima according to quotes attributed to him by a media statement

The statement adds that several African countries have been able to reduce malnutrition significantly in the last decade, proving that the fight against malnutrition can be won.

However, in sub-Saharan Africa undernourishment affected 224 million people in 2016, accounting for 25 percent of undernourished people in the world. In order to stop this suffering, it is crucial that policymakers learn lessons from countries that are making progress in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

Abdoulaye Bio Tchané  observed that the  Forum is one of the only high-level platforms in Africa dedicated to evidence-based dialogue and exchange on critical issues of food security and agricultural growth.

“ It is a brilliant way to share what works, why and how. Across Africa, countries are tackling the issue of malnutrition with resourcefulness and ingenuity. Policies and programmes are being implemented that have been able to make a real difference.

“This inaugural meeting will allow us to review policy and programmatic lessons which can ensure that we provide the best environment for Africans to win the fight against malnutrition,” he said.

Stefan Schmitz, Head of the Division of Rural Development and Food Security at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Bonn said te progress that many African countries have made shows that continent  can achieve a world free of hunger and malnutrition.

“The Government of Germany’s One World No Hunger initiative and the G20 Declaration highlight our commitment to work alongside African governments to achieve these goals. As leaders in our governments, we must make the effort to share evidence about the interventions that work in order to meet the target of ending hunger by 2030,” he said.

The Malabo Montpellier Forum works in parallel with the Malabo Montpellier Panel. The Panel gathers evidence and prepares reports and the Forum convenes decision makers at the highest level to discuss the successes and challenges presented by evidence.