Food Processing and Nutrition in Africa – Improving Diets under the Kampala Declaration: Dr. Aisha Musaazi S. Nakitto, Dr. John Ulimwengu Senior

Dr. Aisha Musaazi S. Nakitto
Head of Policy Innovation Unit, AKADEMIYA2063

Dr. John Ulimwengu
Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI

Transcript

1. Evidence & Policy Dialogue to Facilitate Africa-wide Domestication & Implementation KAMPALA CAADP SERIES FOOD PROCESSING AND NUTRITION IN AFRICA: Improving Diets under the Kampala Declaration January 29, 2026 12:00 – 13:30 GMT Online Dr. Aisha Musaazi S. Nakitto Head of Policy Innovation Unit, AKADEMIYA2063 Dr. John Ulimwengu Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
2. Evidence & Policy Dialogue to Facilitate Africa-wide Domestication & Implementation KAMPALA CAADP SERIES Presentation outline • Kampala Declaration: What problem are we solving? • Why Food Processing Matters: Opportunities • Curbing malnutrition: Nutrition-sensitive processing • Food Processing: Challenges • Food Processing: Policy actions to deliver Kampala outcomes
3. Evidence & Policy Dialogue to Facilitate Africa-wide Domestication & Implementation KAMPALA CAADP SERIES Kampala Declaration: What problem are we solving? ➢Double burden of malnutrition • Moderate and severe food insecurity = 58 % (845 million) • 62 % of preschool-aged children deficient in Fe, Zn, or vit A • 925 million unable to access nutritionally adequate food • Diet-related NCDs rising ➢Food systems performance gap • Food systems failing to deliver affordable, safe, & nutritious diets • High post-harvest losses and weak value addition • Limited domestic agro-processing capacity ➢High dependence on food imports • Food import bill USD 80 billion; USD 90 billion by 2030 • Limited value addition (33% of imports in 2020) • Vulnerability to climate shocks, price volatility, & external supply disruptions Data from FAO et al. (2024) and Zhou et al. (2024)
4. Evidence & Policy Dialogue to Facilitate Africa-wide Domestication & Implementation KAMPALA CAADP SERIES Why Food Processing Matters: Opportunities ➢Shapes nutrition & public health outcomes • Determines food safety, nutrient retention, and affordability • Enables fortification and improved micronutrient bioavailability ➢Strengthens resilience • Reduces post-harvest losses and seasonal food gaps • Extends availability of perishable foods year-round • Lowers dependence on imported processed foods ➢Drives inclusive food systems transformation • Creates off-farm jobs, especially for women and youth • Expands markets and incomes for smallholder farmers • Anchors agro-industrialization under CAADP 2026–2035 LSSF with iron, iodine and folic acid in LMIC. Adapted from Keats et al. (2019)
5. Evidence & Policy Dialogue to Facilitate Africa-wide Domestication & Implementation KAMPALA CAADP SERIES Curbing malnutrition: Nutrition-sensitive processing ➢ Consumption of traditional &underutilized foods achievable through processing if: • Time and energy required to prepare them are reduced while • Nutritional quality is maintained or even enhanced ➢Combine traditional nutrient-preserving processing methods • E.g. such as soaking, sprouting, dehulling, and steaming • depends on the food type and the macro or micronutrient of interest ➢Traditional methods suitable for processing SMEs • Low-tech nature makes them scalable in low-resource settings ➢Processing food waste & by-products ➢Consider processing bio-fortified foods ➢Processing food waste & by-products • Generate nutrient-rich, affordable foods and ingredients • Reduces waste while improving nutrition © www.laketownmills.com/
6. Evidence & Policy Dialogue to Facilitate Africa-wide Domestication & Implementation KAMPALA CAADP SERIES Food Processing: Challenges ❖ Technical barriers • E.g. limited skills development and upgrading; improved machinery, energy ❖ Markets barriers • E.g. trade barriers, & competitiveness ❖Business environment • E.g reliable raw materials supply, access to finance, weak regulatory frameworks ❖Consumer preferences & quality standards • E.g dietary preferences and food acceptability © Modern Ghana 2024
7. Evidence & Policy Dialogue to Facilitate Africa-wide Domestication & Implementation KAMPALA CAADP SERIES Policy actions to deliver Kampala outcomes ➢ Treat food processing as a public health instrument • Set and enforce nutrition, food safety, and labeling standards • Regulate ultra-processed foods while promoting nutritious alternatives • Prioritize public investment in nutrient-dense and fortified foods ➢Strengthen smallholder farmers & processors linkages • E.g. through contract farming, producer organizations, digital platforms ➢Build inclusive and competitive processing ecosystems • Strengthen farmer–processor linkages through contracts and platforms • Provide tailored finance, skills, and infrastructure for SMEs • Leverage AfCFTA to expand regional markets for nutritious processed foods ➢Directly link food processing to nutrition outcomes • focus on the nutritional quality of processed foods • Use public–private partnerships to develop nutrition-sensitive products ➢Invest in consumer sensitization and demand creation https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/; https://www.foodmatters.com/
8. Evidence & Policy Dialogue to Facilitate Africa-wide Domestication & Implementation KAMPALA CAADP SERIES THANK YOU