BACKGROUND

The African Union has declared 2024 as the year for Education with the theme “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st century“

This is in line with AfriCAN’s approach to “inform, educate, advocate and inspire action for improved nutrition at the individual, household, community and national level and AfriCAN’s goal for Nutrition literate communities. This is also in line with AfriCAN’s intention to partner with academia and research institutions for nutrition to be put on their agendas towards informing policy and action, especially at the community level.

AfriCAN reiterates its call for the Youth to “Engage and Innovate” for sustainable nutrition solutions and has accordingly rolled out its “Good Nutrition Starts With Me” Youth initiative in three focus countries – Cameroon, Gambia and Ghana. The focus is on capacity enhancement of the youth and media networks to create awareness and understanding among them of the key role they have to play, including their responsibility and accountability for their own nutrition situation.

Africa is the region with the most youthful population in the world, thus presenting a huge potential for creation innovation and entrepreneurship among others. AfriCAN believes that this potential, if mobilized and harnessed, can turn the African nutrition narrative towards a positive direction. This potential is further recognized in the long-term commitment of the Africa Agenda 2063, which aspires for a youth that is socially, economically and politically empowered to be the driving force behind the continent’s political, social, cultural and economic transformation.

AfriCAN believes that adequate nutrition is an essential foundation for the fulfillment of this aspiration. AfriCAN will further seek to harness youth innovation by providing a platform for and facilitating their participation in the development of home-grown solutions/innovations to local nutrition challenges. The traditional role of the media in informing, educating and entertaining is recognized, and this will be moblilized and harnessed by enhancing their capacities in nutrition, for their own benefit as well as their consumers. National Nutrition Coordinating bodies are the key entry points for AfriCAN into countries and they play a major role in the implementation of this initiative.

OBJECTIVES OF THE EVENT

The main objective of the event is for key stakeholders in the “Good Nutrition Starts With Me” Youth initiative to give their insights on the processes including progress; opportunities, lessons learnt and the way forward. The key stakeholders of the initiative are the Youth networks; Media networks and National Nutrition Coordinating bodies.

TARGET AUDIENCE

A cross section of youth groups, media networks, policy makers, civil society and community representatives, private sector among others.

EVENT FORMAT

This year’s commemoration will be in two parts:

PART ONE: THE EVE OF AFRICA DAY – MAY 24TH 2024: NANA CONFERENCE HALLS
 – Tour of the NaNA FM Health and Nutrition Radio: AfriCAN Board members and guests
 – Bilateral meetings – Nutrition Heads from Cameroon,  Gambia, and Ghana – Revisiting the Multi-sectoral approach. NaNA Conference hall
 – Technical seminar for Youth and Media Groups NaNA conference hall
 – Meet the Speakers – meeting of panelists, speakers and moderators in preparation for Africa Day NaNA conference hall

PART TWO: COMMEMORATION OF AFRICA DAY: SIR DAWDA KAIRABA JAWARA CONFERENCE CENTER
The event will be hybrid as follows:

Session1: 8:30 am – 10:45 am in-person only.

 – Registration/ Refreshments
 – Introductions – Meet and Greet
 – Bi-lateral meetings

Session 2: 11:00am-14:00pm hybrid

Panels with the key stakeholders in the Good Nutrition Starts With Me Youth Initiative 60 mins
 – The Voice of the Youth
 – The Voice of the Media
 – The Voice of National Nutrition Agencies

A message of collaboration from Academia and Research Institutions.

A message of collaboration from Civil Society/community representatives.

Online Participants are encouraged to send in their comments, inputs and suggestions in the chat box which will be compiled and considered as we move forward. Participants may also include their contact details to facilitate communication following the event

PROVISIONAL AGENDA (11am – 4pm)

Moderator: Professor Francis B. Zotor, Professor of Public Health Nutrition and Director AfriCAN

Welcome remarks: Dr. Namanga Ngongi, Former Deputy Executive Director WFP; Former Chair, UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (SCN) and Board Chair, AfriCAN – 5 mins

Setting the stage:  Update on the Good Nutrition Starts with Me Youth Initiative AfriCAN: Ms. Isatou Jallow, Executive Director, AfriCAN – 15 mins

PERSPECTIVES AND FEEDBACK ON THE “GOOD NUTRITION STARTS WITH ME” (60 MINUTES)

Youth Panel: Moderated by Prof Francis – 20 mins

Discussions: 15 mins
Media Panel moderated by Dr Charity Binka, Executive Director, Women, Media and Change – 20 mins

Discussions: 15 mins
National Nutrition Coordinating Bodies: moderated by Ms Julia Tagwireyi – 20 mins

General Discussions: 30 mins (including online)

Message of collaboration from Academia, Dean University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana – 10 mins

Message of collaboration from Civil society Sidia Jatta/Batamaka – 10 mins

AI to improve nutrition among the Youth – introducing the FRANI App – Dr Gloria Folson, Noguchi Memorial institute for medical research – 10 mins

Wrap Up: 5 mins
Professor Francis B. Zotor (Moderator)

Closing Remarks (5 mins)
Mr. Alhaji Jallow, Board Director