Ethiopia’s Implementation of Seqota Declaration a model for other nations: ADB President

Addis Ababa, September 24, 2022 (FBC) – The African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina praised Ethiopian government for its success in putting the Seqota Declaration into practice, saying it could serve as a model for other nations and that it would soon be implemented in six other African nations.

The Ethiopian government and the African Development Bank (ADB) hosted a high-level presidential dialogue on nutrition to encourage collective action by African leaders to end childhood stunting, boost human capital, and promote development while sharing Ethiopia’s experience in implementing the Seqota Declaration.

The Seqota Declaration, which will be fully implemented by 2030, is assisting mothers and children in getting nourishing food that aims to end child stunting in the nation, said Demeke Mekonen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.

In order to ensure that the declaration serves its intended purpose, top management has been closely monitoring and supervising its implementation, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke.

Demeke said, more than 110,000 children were saved in the Amhara and Tigray regions within six years of the implementation, according to a study on the Seqota Declaration’s implementation mechanisms that John Hopkins University conducted.

The DPM & FM outlined four crucial actions that improved the Seqota Declaration’s outcomes: political leadership and budget allocation, financial and technical support from development partners, implementation of problem-solving techniques, and gender-based feedback.

The African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina, stated that by banding together, the issue of child stunting can be solved in Africa, confirming the project will receive $4 billion from the Bank.

By making nutrition a top national priority and establishing effective multi-sectoral nutrition programs in each of their respective nations, African Heads of State, the African Development Bank Group, the African Union mission to the United Nations, and partners pledged to invest in and accelerate progress toward ending stunting on the continent, as per MFA.

The meeting was attended by the president of Malawi, the vice president of Tanzania, the vice president of Uganda, and representatives from donor organizations.