NUTRITION

Achievements

Nutrition is an important component of socio-economic development and nutritional well-being is a prerequisite for a healthy and productive population.This has been recognised by government within the last 10 years and is manifested by the conducive environment which allows nutrition to be placed high on the development agenda of the country.

Major achievements have thus been made in the area of institutional strengthening and capacity development. During this period, a National Nutrition Policy was formulated and adopted; a National Nutrition Council (NCC) chaired by the Vice President and comprising Secretaries of State from various sectors was established. Most importantly, government’s recognition of Nutrition as a cross-cutting development issue rather than a sectoral issue was manifested through the creation of a National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) under the Office of The Vice President. NaNA has the mandate to coordinate all nutrition activities in the country and to faciltate inter-sectoral collaboration in the area of nutrition.

Regarding capacity development, there are currently 6 trained Nutritionists at NaNA as opposed to a single Nutritionist prior to 1994. This alone is a major and crucial achievement especially when compared to other countries in the sub-region where Nutrition Units are often headed by non-nutrition personnel. Trained manpower is a prerequisite for the effective planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable nutrition programmes.

The Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI), Gambia’s response to the global Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) has now put the country firmly on the map regarding successful community nutrition interventions. What started as a pilot project with 12 communities in the Lower River Division has now been expanded to a total of 219 communities across the country.

The BFCI is a comprehensive community based health and nutrition programme addressing maternal nutrition, infant and young child nutrition, environmental sanitation and personal hygiene. The success and sustainabilty of the BFCI can be attributed to the emphasis placed on developing capacity at the community level by training community representatives which include men to implement the programme. The BFCI is recommended for implementaion by other countries and the communities play host to various countries and organisations who visits them to learn about the programme. Political commitment was also demonstrated at the BFCI designation ceremony held in the LRD and attended by a high level delegation led by H.E. The Vice President.

H.E. The Vice President, Mrs. Isatou Njie-Saidy at the BFCI designation ceremony in the LRD in 1999

H.E The Vice President, Mrs Isatou Njie-Saidy having just unveiled a billboard in a newly BFCI designated commnuity

Significant achievements have been made in the control of micro-nutrient deficiencies of public health interest. The prevalance, magnitude and distribution of vitamin A deficiency (VAD), iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) have been documented. A national vitamin A supplementation programme was initiated in 2000 where all children under five years of age and mothers within 8 weeks afer delivery are supplemented with vitamin A capsules. Over 90% of children under five years have received the supplementation during the National Immunisation Days (NIDs). The Gambia has also incorporated the Vitamin A supplementation in the routine MCH/EPI services with current coverage estimated at 60% with projections to increase to 80% by 2005.

A Child receiving Vitamin A capsule at a health facility

Iodised salt which is for the first time being produced in the country, was made possible through public, private and civil society partnerships. Government, through NaNA is working with the private sector as well as with communities to produce quality salt which can be iodised.  Universal salt iodisation is thus becoming a reality in The Gambia.

A Child receiving Vitamin A capsule at a health facility

There is increased focus on Food quality and safety issues within the context of efforts to strengthen the National Food Control System. This includes the formualtion of a National Food Act which places equal emphasis on the safety and quality of foods intended both for domestic as well as for export purposes.

Challenges

Nutrition is influenced by several factors and requires sustained efforts from various sectors to achieve maximum impact on the population

Sustaining inter-sectoral collaboration and the inclusion of nutrition objectives into sectoral plans

National coverage with nutrition interventions including reaching the most vulnerable groups in the population

Sustained and adequate resources both financial and human are a prerequisite for effective sevice delivery.

Way Forward

Build on the gains realised so far by scaling up interventions which have proven to be successful, sustainable and cost effective.

Strengthen partnerships with the private sector and civil society. BACK