Africa needs more long-term investment in health and nutrition to reduce its reliance on emergency responses to hunger, disease and humanitarian crises, the Mary Dinah Foundation (MDF) has said.
Mary Dinah, founder and CEO of MDF, made the call during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York, where she participated in discussions on child survival, nutrition and health financing.
She said while short-term aid remains important during emergencies, it cannot address the underlying challenges that leave children and families vulnerable to hunger, malnutrition, conflict and displacement.
‘Africa’s challenges cannot be addressed through short-term interventions alone,’ Dinah said. ‘We need to move from responding to crisis to building systems that enable communities to withstand crisis in the first place.’
Dinah spoke at a side event titled ‘Our Children Cannot Wait: Leadership, Solidarity and Action for Child Survival and Nutrition,’ hosted by King Letsie III of Lesotho in partnership with Nutrition International and the Government of Canada.
The event brought together leaders, including Kenya’s President William Ruto, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Qu Dongyu, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to discuss child survival and nutrition.
MDF said its position is informed by its work with communities in West and Central Africa.
The foundation said it has provided more than 125 million meals to people affected by hunger and crises across the region. It also works to improve access to healthcare and protection services and supports children, women and families affected by conflict and displacement.
Dinah also participated in a Concordia roundtable titled ‘Rethinking Global Health Finance: Mobilizing Private Capital for Health Outcomes.’
The discussion examined how private investment can support health services and solutions developed with local communities.
According to MDF, Africa needs financing that extends beyond emergency relief and supports health and nutrition systems capable of helping communities withstand future crises.
This includes investment in healthcare, nutrition, women and children, as well as local systems that can respond to emergencies.
Dinah said governments, businesses, philanthropists and communities need to work together to develop and scale solutions.
‘Investing in nutrition, health, women and children’ is part of building stronger communities, she said.
MDF’s participation at UNGA81 is part of its effort to bring the experiences of communities affected by hunger, malnutrition and displacement into global discussions on health and development.
The foundation said the focus should not only be on raising more funds but also on directing financing towards long-term solutions that can reduce the impact of future crises.