Shaping public finance to combat malnutrition

In collaboration with UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa regional office, Genesis Analytics developed the Public Finance for Children-Nutrition (PF4C-N) Learning Programme.

This initiative aims to increase the capacity of stakeholders to engage effectively in the budget cycle, advocate for increased nutrition investments and ensure their efficient use.

Malnutrition remains a critical global health challenge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where socioeconomic inequalities worsen the problem. Addressing this issue requires comprehensive strategies to improve nutritional intake and reduce these inequalities. Public finance is vital in this effort, as it supports adequate funding and efficient resource allocation for nutrition programmes.

Genesis adapted the PF4C-N manual for the African context, created tailored training materials, and conducted multi-country and country-specific training sessions. We launched an e-learning course on Agora and developed additional chapters on food systems and social protection.

The team conducted country-specific nutrition financing diagnostics in Ethiopia and Nigeria to identify bottlenecks and policy priorities. We translated the manual into French and Portuguese and conducted four multi-country and three country-specific PF4C-N workshops.

Following these workshops, 20 countries developed work plans to improve nutrition outcomes by strengthening public finance for nutrition programmes. 

These plans, formulated by representatives from health and finance ministries, UNICEF and other stakeholders, identified high-impact PF4C-N opportunities and set actionable steps to improve nutrition outcomes for children and mothers in the region.