Benin/Lancement du Projet de supplémentation nutritionnelle des 1000 premiers jours: Une réponse du gouvernement béninois pour endiguer définitivement la malnutrition

The Blue Room at the Palais des Congrès was the setting for the launch of the First 1000 Days Nutritional Supplementation Project. Its aim is to improve the nutritional status of children aged 0 to 2. The event took place on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, as part of the National Nutrition Forum. Various personalities including Ministers, Departmental Prefects, Mayors, Ambassadors, Technical and Financial Partners from the Nutrition sector and others were present.

The project will provide free nutritional supplements to pregnant and breastfeeding women, and to children aged between 6 months and 2 years. In addition, the government will make prenatal consultations in public health centers free of charge. According to the Minister of State for Development and Coordination of Government Action, Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, representing the President of the Republic, Patrice Talon, nutrition is a key issue for the nation. This project, prompted by the Head of State himself, aims to improve the nutritional status of children aged 0-2.

As the Minister points out, nutritional deficiencies during this period affect children's brain development, resulting in lifelong cognitive limitations. Children whose learning capacity is now reduced perform less well at school, reducing their chances of accessing future economic opportunities. This contributes to the persistence of poverty.

"During the window of opportunity of the first 1,000 days, our Government considers systematic nutritional supplementation to be a high-impact intervention, capable of contributing to a reduction in child mortality. high impact intervention, capable of contributing to an improvement in the nutritional situation of children, and better still, in the country's human capital under construction", the ministerial authority suggests.

According to Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, this "highly social" project is a vision of President Patrice Talon's government in the field of food and nutrition, which was clearly expressed through the adoption of the national food and nutrition policy. And, the flagship intervention of the national food and nutrition policy 2024-2033, is the nutritional supplementation project for the first 1,000 days, which covers a five-year period, from 2024 to 2028. "The aim is to build a Benin where every child can grow up and flourish in optimal conditions, free from the constraints associated with malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies," he confides.

In their own words...

Alain Hinkati is Director General of the Agence nationale de l'alimentation et de la nutrition (Anan). Created in July 2023, it is the Government's operational arm in this field, acting as the instrument for coordinating and monitoring food and nutrition policy in Benin. As he sees it, the First 1000 Days Nutritional Supplementation Project, under the aegis of Anan and the Direction générale des politiques de développement (Dgpd), is a revolutionary project with great transformative potential. "The challenge we face is to invest differently in early childhood, in order to prepare a new generation of citizens with adequate mental and physical capacities.The challenge we face is to invest differently in early childhood, in order to prepare a new generation of citizens with adequate mental and physical capacities, and thus able to contribute significantly to the economic and social development of our country. It is crucial to invest in early childhood, as the productivity gains in adulthood are immense", asserted Dg Anan.

The overall cost of the project is 155 billion, or around 250 million USD. It will be financed by the country's own resources and contributions from technical and financial partners (Ptf). From the Minister of State to Dg Anan, all reiterated the gratitude of the Government of Benin and its people to all the Ptf for their support in Benin's march towards development. In the words of the leader of Benin's nutrition PwCs, their commitment remains unwavering. "We will always be at your side in the fight," declared Ousmane Niang.

Source: matinlibre.com