Africa Catalyzing Action for Nutrition (AfriCAN)

You can register for the event here: https://b60o6hsxmfe.typeform.com/afriCAN

BACKGROUND

Africa Catalyzing Action for Nutrition (AfriCAN) was launched on Africa Day, May 25^th 2022, the same year declared by the African Union as the “Year of Nutrition”. Africa while registering some progress is still  not on course to meet the 2025 Malabo goal to end hunger and reduce stunting to 10% or the 2030 goal to end all forms of malnutrition.  

At AfriCAN, we believe that the missing pieces to Africa’s Nutrition puzzle lie within the continent and its communities. However, these resources are yet to be tapped fully to address the nutrition challenges thus giving rise to AfriCAN’s mission which is to mobilize and harness the continent’s underutilized and untapped resources towards improving nutrition sustainably. 

 We believe that political will and action can only be sustained by the people’s will and action; and the people’s will and action can only be sustained through communication and education and with adequate and relevant information.

AfriCAN’s approach, therefore, is to inform, educate, advocate, and inspire action at all levels and the goal is for communities to become “Nutrition Literate”, with the knowledge, skills, and the will to improve their nutrition situation individually and collectively. 

AfriCAN’s niche is at the community level with a focus on the youth, and where we aim to bridge the gap between policy and action and between political will and the people’s will, while inspiring the youth to rise to the malnutrition challenge.

Event Format: The commemoration will be in 2 parts:

Part one : A 2 hour hybrid meeting  with virtual and in-person participants 11am-2pm GMT

Provisional Agenda

1. Welcome remarks                                                                                                     

2. Presentation of AfriCAN Strategic Plan 2023-2025                                                        

3. Perspectives from in-person and virtual participants on the theme:

The Youth are the Foundation for  Nutrition Literate Communities                                              

(On-line participants are invited to contribute through the chat box with some to be invited by the moderator to speak briefly on the theme                   

4. Interlude: “Artists for a Healthy and Well Nourished Africa “                                        

5. Message from partners                                                                                                          

6. Wrap up                                                                                                                               

7. Launch of AfriCAN Strategic Initiatives 

·       Good Nutrition Starts With Me Youth Initiative

·       Nutrition Literate Community Initiative

8. Closing Remarks

End of Part 1 followed by a one hour lunch break 

Part two: A 2-hour technical meeting with in-person participants only 2.15pm - 4.15pm GMT

·       Group work with recommendations to support AfriCAN moving forward

MEET THE SPEAKERS AfriCAN 2023

Dr. Namanga Ngongi (Cameroon), AfriCAN Board Chair

Dr. Namanga Ngongi, former deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Under Secretary General and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in DR Congo and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the country, was called out of retirement from a lifetime devoted to agricultural development to serve as the first President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) from 2007 to 2012. Dr Ngongi has served on many international and regional bodies concerned with nutrition and was among others, Chair of the UN Sub-Committee on Nutrition (SCN); founding chairperson of the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) board of trustees; chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), member of the CGIAR System Management Board. Dr. Ngongi’s decades-long service to his country Cameroon, the UN and AGRA earned him the African Green Revolution Forum Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Dr Namanga Ngongi is Chair of the Board of AfriCAN and is an active farmer in Cameroon, his home country. Dr. Ngongi holds a master’s degree and doctorate in agronomy from Cornell University. 

Professor Francis B. Zotor, (Ghana) , AfriCAN Board Director, Event Moderator

Professor Zotor is a Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ghana. He is a recognized leader spanning over two decades in nutrition across Africa and has been instrumental in driving and promoting the establishment of a strong nutrition profession on the continent, training and research to underpin programme delivery especially across the health and education sectors in Africa. He is currently  Vice President on  the Council of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) and serves on  a number of  boards including  as Trustee of the African Nutrition Society and  the Federation of African Nutrition Societies FANUS).  In Ghana, he serves as the chair of the FDA's Technical Advisory Committee on Nutrition.

Ms. Julia Tagwireyi (Zimbabwe), AfriCAN Board Director

Julia Tagwireyi  has over 45 years experience in public nutrition including  8 years in the Caribbean and over 30 years in Zimbabwe and on the African continent. She established the Food and Nutrition Council of Zimbabwe and became its inaugural Director.   She served as Senior Advisor on Nutrition to the Uganda WFP Country Director and was Regional advocacy advisor and Champion of biofortification in sub-Sahara Africa for Helen Keller International. She was a member  of the Advisory Group on Nutrition  for the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN)  for seven years, and member of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences(IUNS)  Council for four years. Julia Tagwireyi was awarded the African Nutrition Society(ANS) medal of honour for contribution to nutrition on the African continent in 2012 and where  she currently serves  as a  Board  of Trustee.  Julia Tagwireyi has a BSc. in nutrition and dietetics from Surrey University, and a Masters in Nutrition and International Development from Cornell University and presently works as  an independent consultant.

Dr. Josué Dioné (Mali), AfriCAN Board Director

Former Research Specialist, and Associate Professor for International Development at the Michigan State University (MSU) for over 13 years, Dr. Josué Dioné has more than 35 years of experience working with development policies, strategies and programs that focus on agriculture, food security and sustainable development in Africa.  Dr. Dioné has worked as Special Adviser to the African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture. He previously served as Director of the Food Security and Sustainable Division of the UN Economic Commission for Africa .where he initiated and led the implementation of the Cost of Hunger in Africa Studies, the African Land Policy initiative and the African Climate policy Centre. He also served as Principal Policy Economist at the African Development Bank, and as member of the governing boards of the International Fertilizer Development Center, the European Center for Development Policy Management, and the African Fertilizer Financing Mechanism, among others. He has Masters and doctorate degrees in Agricultural Economics from the Université Laval and the MSU respectively. Dr. Dioné was awarded the Michigan State University Joon S. Moon Distinguished Interntional Alumni Award in 2003.

Mr. Modou Cheyassin Phall (Gambia), AfriCAN Director

Mr Modou Cheyassin Phall served as the  Executive Director of the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) for 15 years before retiring in 2021 he is part of the pioneering team that led the transformation of the Gambia’s Nutrition Unit under the Ministry of Health,  to the National Nutrition Agency under the Office of the Vice President.  Mr Phall is currently the Interim President of The Gambia Nutrition Society (GAMNUTS) and a Council Member of the Federation of African Nutrition Society (FANUS).  Mr Phall also served in various other capacities at both international, regional and national levels including the Country Focal Point for the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN), Codex and the ECOWAS Nutrition Forum. He was  Chairperson of the Multisectoral Platform for Nutrition (Nutrition Technical Advisory Committee), Project Coordinator of World Bank Funded  Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Project MCNHRP; Project Coordinator of The Gambia Social Safety Net Project; Coordinator and Principal Investigator of The Gambia Micronutrient Study as well as  Coordinator of the Cost of Hunger Study in Africa (COHA) - The Gambia Report. Mr. Phall is a trained Public Health Officer and holds a BSc degree in Applied Human Nutrition from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC)and an MSc and a Diploma in Public Health Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK. 

Ms. Fatou Cham,  (Gambia) Reproductive Health Rights Advocate, Intern, AfriCAN

Fatou Cham  a youth advocate in the area of Sexual and reproductive health and rights, believes that together, we can all play a role in being change agents to make our world a better place. She is passionate about creating a healthy environment for women and adolescents in her community. Fatou is also a menstrual hygiene trainer and conducts menstrual hygiene and management sessions for school-going girls.  She is a trained leader from the TAF Leadership Academy, a certified social change agent, and a United Nations sustainable development goals advocate from Mike Oladipo Global leadership school, Nigeria. She holds a higher national diploma (HND) in public and environmental health from the Gambia College: School of Public Health. She is currently  an intern at Africa Catalyzing Action for Nutrition (AfriCAN). 

Dr. Lawalley Cole (Ethiopia), Executive Director, CAFOR

Dr Cole is the Executive Director of the Coalition on Media and Education for Development Africa Forum (CAFOR) and currently based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the African Union Commission Headquarters. Lawalley  is a national of The Gambia and has about thirty years of progressively responsible experience in teaching, policy formulation and development planning, programme design, programme implementation, monitoring, research and evaluation, and other managerial areas mainly in the fields of education and communication for development. He worked for UNICEF as Chief of Education for fifteen years and for the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)  for ten years as Coordinator, Communication for Education and Development. Dr Cole obtained  his masters’ and doctoral degrees  in Education and Business Administration from  the University of Massachusetts, Amherst  and Walden University. 

Dr. Charity Binka (Ghana), Executive Director, Women, Media and Change

Dr. Charity Binka is the Executive Director of Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) a non-governmental organization (NGO) that is committed to gender equality and the empowerment of women. She is also the Executive Secretary of the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) that builds the capacity of African journalists to report effectively on malaria and other diseases. She has a doctorate degree in Population and Health, obtained from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She is a seasoned journalist, expert in gender, women’s health, media and management and has worked for more than 39 years to put the issues of health and women on the global and national agenda. She also serves on several national and international boards. She was on the African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) for over 10 years as Vice Chairperson responsible for West Africa and supported the restructuring of the organisation.

Mr. Alasan Senghore, (Gambia), Secretary General, Gambia Red Cross Society

Mr. Senghore is currently seconded by the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) to the Gambia Red Cross Society as Secretary General. He has more than 25 years of professional experience working around the globe, managing and coordinating major regional and continental projects, programs and operations He joined the Federation in 1976 as a Youth and Field Officer and from there served in various capacities, including the Permanent Observer of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to the United Nations ; Director of Africa for the IFRC in Nairobi, Kenya, from 2009 to 2016 ; Head of Zone for West and Central Africa in 2007, Head of the Regional Delegation for Southern Africa in 2003, and Head of Sector for Africa in the Cooperation Department from 2000 to 2002. In September 1995, he joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a cooperation delegate in Kenya and later became the ICRC deputy head of mission to the Organization of African Unity(OAU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and then, the ICRC’s cooperation delegate and deputy head of the regional delegation in Harare, Zimbabwe (2000-2008). He also served as head of sector for Africa at the cooperation department of the ICRC in Geneva. Mr. Senghore holds two Master of Business Administration degrees, in leadership and sustainability, and in management, respectively from the University of Cumbria and the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.  

Dr. Batamaka Somé  (Burkina Faso), International Consultant 

Dr Somé is an anthropologist, a farm entrepreneur and research consultant based in Burkina Faso.  He has conducted extensive work in agriculture and gender, focusing on rural livelihoods, food systems, food and nutrition security, local governance, and climate change adaptation among pastoralists.  He worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he advised on sociocultural challenges related to gender mainstreaming and technology adoption. He also worked at the UN World Food Programme as Senior Gender Advisor and Program Policy Officer on agriculture and gender. His consultancy work for various international organizations included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the USAID, the UNDP, the International Livestock Research Institute, Mercy Corps, the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), Root Capital, and the Dutch Royal Tropical Institute.  He is currently the West Africa Regional Representative of the McKnight Foundation’s Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems (formerly known as the Collaborative Crop Research Program), where he leads work in agroecology and sustainable agriculture among smallholder farmers. Dr  Somé has a total of  sixteen years of teaching both in secondary and tertiary education. He holds a BA in English, a Master’s degree in African literature, and a postgraduate degree in teacher education from the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.  He also holds a postgraduate degree in Gender Relations in International Development, and a Master’s degree and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Ms. Mariam Mansaray, (Gambia) Digital Specialist and Youth Advocate

As a digital specialist, Mariam develops and executes marketing strategies for  clients, creating engaging content ideas, monitoring social media pages, and developing campaigns to boost visibility and engagement for businesses.  Her analytical and communication skills enable her to work closely with clients and other team members, ensuring that digital marketing campaigns align with overall marketing goals. She started her Diploma and Advance Diploma in Management Studies at Management Development Institute in 2018 and  completed her Post Graduate course in Public Administration in 2022. 

Mr. Tandong Calistus Jong (Cameroon), African Agriculture Ambassador

Mr. Jong is a Youth Activist and Advocate – African Agriculture ambassador, AUC-PACA Award Winner and Food Safety Campaigner. He  is also the Founder and Coordinator of the Amboh Young Farmers Common Initiative Group (AMYOFACIG) and a Freelance Science and Agriculture Reporter. He currently serves as Member in the  Agenda 2063 Media Network,  the CAADP Journalists Network and the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ).  He was the former Head of Advocacy & Communications, AFRICAphonie (NGO), Cameroon. Mr. Jong has among others, a Diploma in Social Change Communication, from the University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana, and a Diploma in Agriculture/Community Development from the Community Development and Specialisation Training School (CDSTS) Kumba, Cameroon.

Dr. Amat Bah, Executive Director, National Nutrition Agency (NaNA), The Gambia

Dr Amat Bah is the Executive Director of the National Nutrition Agency [NaNA] and currently the Project Coordinator of the World Bank Gambia Government supported Gambia Social Safety Net Project (GSSNP). Dr Bah holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Human Nutrition from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK, a Master’s Degree in Public Health Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a PhD in Nutrition from the same LSHTM, UK. He is an Alumnus of the African Nutrition Leadership Programme (ANLP) from the Wits University in South Africa. He holds several diplomas that include: Public Health from The Gambia College, School of Public Health, Community Nutrition from the University of Wageningen in Holland, Public Health Nutrition from LSHTM and Management Studies from the Management Development Institute(MDI) of The Gambia. Dr Bah has over 35 years’ experience in public health nutrition in The Gambia that included 6 years at the Medical Research Council, The Gambia.

Mr. Baba Jaiteh, (Gambia) Co-Founder and Head of Operations, GISQO – Youth owned and Youth Led Software Development Company

Baba Jaiteh is a computer science and technology professional and co-founder of Gisqo, a software development and digital marketing company based in The Gambia. He is currently the head of operations and creative design. Baba’s leadership and technical skills were put to the test when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Along with his team at Gisqo, he partnered with UNDP The Gambia to develop an integrated digital solution called MyLumo. This platform enabled women vendors at informal markets in the provinces to market their products online, helping them stay in business during the pandemic. In 2021, Baba co-founded Gisqo's flagship product, G-Quiz, which is an edtech solution designed to help students prepare for exams. The platform gained a lot of traction and gathered over 8000 users across The Gambia, with over 60% of students reporting improved grades after using it. In 2023, he became a member of the ICT technical committee for The Gambia Standards Bureau, further cementing his reputation as a leading figure in the tech industry in The Gambia. He graduated from the American International University West Africa in 2020.

Ms. Binta Khan Badgie, (Gambia) Entrepreneur, CEO and Co-founder Nopal Jegg  

Binta Khan Badjie is a wife, mother, an Entrepreneur, a banker by profession and the CEO of Nopal Jegg Enterprise. She has worked with Guaranty Trust Bank Gambia Ltd for 9 years (2009- 2012 and 2016-2022) serving in different capacities in the Bank including Customer Service, Marketing, Teller, Corporate Affairs and Human Resources units. She also worked for Elton Oils/Atlas and Nifty ICT Solutions as shop manager and sales assistant respectively. She is an Executive Director at EDGE Recruitment and Consulting Company Ltd . In 2018, she inherited Nopal Jegg Enterprise, which was founded by her mom, Ms. Gai Haddy Sey. Binta rebranded but kept the name, which was already a household name in Urban parts of The Gambia. She also improved on the packaging by going 10% plastic only and 90% paper to meet the world food standards as well as factoring the safety of the environment.  In 2020, she was nominated by the Gambia Women Chamber of Commerce (GWCC) under the category “Woman to Watch”. She was recently elected as Board member of the Gambia Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She has a BSc in Management and Finance and is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of The Gambia. Binta also has a Professional Diploma in Sales and Marketing Management from the school of London Center of Marketing through the University of The Gambia.