Government support to boost nutrition

To bridge the gap between government and the private sector, SBN Ethiopia has facilitated dialogues and advocated for private sector inclusion in all matters related to improving food systems and access to safe nutritious foods in the country.

“Despite being the producers and suppliers of foods in Ethiopia, the private sector is largely excluded in the development of policies that govern food production. Small-Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Ethiopia do not have a problem running businesses. Instead, they have to grapple with numerous restrictive policies and the high cost of doing business, which inhibits them from scaling up. That prompted us to start engaging the government,” explains Abenezer Feleke, Programme Lead for SBN Ethiopia. This engagement started in 2020, with a members’ meeting convened by SBN Ethiopia to discuss with SMEs the challenges they were experiencing and potential opportunities for scaling up their operations and impact on nutrition.

Among the issues raised was a restrictive policy and regulatory regime that included prohibitive taxes – especially on imported ingredients for companies that provide fortified foods – and was slowing business growth. As nutrition is a matter of national importance, members believed tax relief could serve as an incentive for more businesses to invest in improving the nutritional quality of processed foods.

Consumer preference has also been a critical issue for businesses in Ethiopia, with the perception that imported products are of better quality serving as a limiting factor for local producers. They called for awareness campaigns aimed at consumers to highlight the need of embracing locally-produced products, including pulses, oilseed, and fortified flour, that meet the nutrition threshold and support local businesses.

While SBN Ethiopia has been keen to promote locally-made, affordable, and nutritious foods, members highlighted the Ethiopian Standards Agency’s (ESA) lack of specific standardisations on fortified products as making it difficult for businesses to operate within a uniform regulatory environment.

Members also raised concerns over their limited internal capacity and expertise, and requested training in areas such as marketing, commercialisation, quality control, and safety protocols. Such assistance would support them in enhancing their internal capacity and reaching a wider customer base.

“As a network, we are focusing on improving and strengthening the private sector’s contribution towards improving nutrition in Ethiopia while collaborating with the government to provide a strong enabling environment for business investment in nutrition, to ensure that all people have access to good food and nutrition.”

Abenezer FelekeProgramme Lead, SBN Ethiopia

Partners in progress

Following these deliberations, SBN Ethiopia facilitated a public-private sector dialogue which brought together the SBN Focal Point, who works in the Ministry of Health; policymakers; Ministry of Trade and Industry officials; the Deputy Director General of the Food Beverage Pharmaceutical Industry Development Institute; and officials from the ESA, for a follow-up meeting. During this dialogue, the challenges that had been previously raised by SMEs were discussed. Among the meeting’s positive outcomes was the partnership established between SBN Ethiopia and the ESA to develop a standard on fortified foods.

“To get the conversation with government officials going and have them attend these deliberations was tough, because they had not previously interacted with businesses in the food and nutrition sector. We are happy that we are now seeing a great deal of commitment by officials on issues we raised, and that they are engaging with us and accommodating our recommendations. To have changed government mindset on involving the private sector in the nutrition agenda is quite a success on our end,” enthuses Abenezer.

The meetings gave rise to seven key objectives that guide SBN Ethiopia’s three-year Strategic Plan for engaging the private sector in nutrition. Each objective is geared towards tackling the challenges and concerns that members have raised, and include:

• Developing a strong SBN brand and membership
• Improving nutrition policies and regulations
• Increasing business engagement in the non-nutrition sector
• Growing nutrition partnerships
• Improving nutrition sensitivity along the agricultural value chain
• Increasing availability of fortified products and supplements
• Enhancing nutrition awareness and demand.

Each objective spells out specific activities to be implemented, who is to execute them, their duration, and key performance indicators. For example, under the strategic objective on improving nutrition policies and regulations, SBN Ethiopia has set out initiatives geared towards providing input to government on behalf of the private sector and cultivating strategic relationships with key government departments.

Once completed, the strategy was endorsed in a follow-up workshop attended by government officials and a launch event. “Developing the national nutrition strategy was one of the most complex and challenging endeavours I have ever undertaken. A lot of work still needs to be done, and having SBN Ethiopia as one of the key actors is not just key, it is a necessity if we are going to really tackle the burden of malnutrition in this country,” says Mrs. Frealem Shibabaw, Founder of the Ethiopian School Meals Initiative, and State Minister of Peace.