The African Nutrition Society (ANS) conference

7 – 11th, October 2024. University of Cape Coast – North Campus, Cape Coast, Ghana. The African Nutrition Society (ANS) and the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) are organizing the 9th edition of the Africa Nutrition Conference (ANC2024 / ANEC IX).

Theme: “FOOD AND NUTRITION IN A CHANGING WORLD: Implications for nutrition security and health in Africa”

The ANEC IX Conference theme has been chosen to highlight and reflect the succession of global and regional crises and issues currently impacting on nutrition and health, and their implications for research, practice, advocacy and the training of nutrition and health professionals in Africa.

This year’s theme addressed key critical global issues which impact food and nutrition security and the food supply chain. The theme also reflected current global dialogues and national commitments to food systems transformation for a better world. ANEC IX brought together students, academics, trainers and practitioners, as well as government and non-government actors, multilateral and bilateral organizations. The conference provided a forum for exchange of new knowledge and innovative approaches for the management of national priorities. Such discussions were complemented by country specific public engagement activities. 

Track 1: Food Systems and Nutrition in Africa

Food systems transformation is a major area of global health and nutrition security interest. In this track, key focus areas included:

• Monitoring and tracking food systems transformation
• The food environment and their implications for health and disease
• The nutrition transition in the context of Africa’s food environment and non-communicable diseases
• Climate Change and Food in the Circular Economy
• Traditional Knowledge, promotion and transformation of Africa’s indigenous food resources and their implications for the food industry

Track 2: Nutrition, Health and Wellbeing

This theme explored issues relating to nutrition across the lifecycle in health and disease including pre-pregnancy maternal, infant and young child nutrition, Immuno-nutrition in health and disease, and nutrition in the management of diseases.

Key focus area included:

• Food, nutrition security and the developmental origins of health and disease
• Hidden hunger - Micronutrient nutrition /deficiency in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• School Health and Nutrition (beyond the first 7,000 Days)
• Epidemiological trends in nutrition and lifestyle-related chronic diseases including cancers in Africa
• Nutrition in the therapeutic management of disease
• New technologies and nutrition surveillance methodologies and the quality and reliability of measurements for nutrition monitoring, decision-making and policy

Track 3: Training and Capacity-Building for Nutrition

This theme covered education, training and professional practice in the fields of nutrition and dieteticsacross Africa.

Key focus areas include:

• Pedagogical issues and harmonization of nutrition and dietetics curricula in Africa
• Current global trends and shifts in education and training emphasis and scope.
• Country experiences on training, licensure and nutrition and dietetics professional practice.
• Nutrition education and communication in professional practice

Track 4: Special Events: Nutrition Governance in Africa; the African Diaspora in Nutrition

This track featured Expert Panel/Round Table discussions and a debate on cross-cutting contemporary issues with policy implications at national and regional levels

Track 4A: A Roundtable Discussion: Nutrition governance in Africa

Key focus areas:

• 
  What is important for nutrition governance in Africa?
  
• New directions and roles of Centres of Excellence for Nutrition in Africa: generating research evidence for policymakers
• Exploring policies, national, regional commitments, targets,
• Nutrition leadership
• Challenges and opportunities

Track 4B: A Debate: The African Diaspora and Nutrition Training and capacity-building

Key focus areas include:

• African scientists and experts in the diaspora – “Brain drain or brain gain”?
• Contributions of Africans in diaspora to the Nutrition landscape in Africa.
• Challenges and opportunities for collaboration and building research, leadership and advocacy capacities

Highlights of the programme:

09/10 The African Diaspora in Nutrition

Topic: African Diaspora and Nutrition Training and Capacity-building

• Professor Mary Murimi, Texas Tech Universty, USA
• Ms. Tambra Stevenson,American University, USA
• Professor Folake Samuel, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
• Prof Robert Akparibo, The University of Sheffield, UK

09/10 Nutrition Governance & Leadership in Africa

This session discussed linking agricultural research to nutrition research 

• Chairpersons: Dr. Habiba Hasan Wassef & Professor Richmond Aryeetey
• Moderator: Francois Stepman (GFAiR)

Speakers: 

• Dr. Habiba Hasan Wassef (African Nutrition Society) - Topic: Potential contribution of a digital information and knowledge platform to enhancing uptake by policy and decision makers of research generated-evidence
• Dr. Aggrey Agumya (FARA) - Can an ICT platform and knowledge hub enhance the uptake by policy and decision makers of 10 years of research-generated evidence?
• Prof Lise Korsten (University of Pretoria) 

Panel Discussion: 

• Dr. Habiba Hasan Wassef
• Dr Kefilwe Moalosi
• Prof Kingsley Pereko (UCC)
• Dr Lise Korsten
• Dr. Aggrey Agumya
• Dr Namukolo Covic (IFPRI)

Related:

30 October 2024. Supporting and shaping the global nutrition agenda with evidence: A three-decade journey of research and partnerships for impact