Dar es Salaam:
More than 100 people including the Guest of Honour, the Honourable
Prof. Jumanne Maghembe, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives
will be present at the launch of the Partnership for Nutrition in
Tanzania (PANITA), a coalition of 90 civil society organisations
across Tanzania.
On the 4th of August Partnership for Nutrition in Tanzania will be
formally launched by Honourable Prof. Jumanne Maghembe, Minister of
Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives at the Kilimanjaro Kempinski hotel
in Dar es Salaam. Hon. Prof. Maghembe is representing the Prime
Minister Honourable Mizengo Pinda who could not attend the event due
to other pressing issues. This initiative that gathered more than 90
different organizations, dealing with nutrition related issues from
across Tanzania, was set up thanks to Save the Children and UNICEF
that facilitated and supported the coalition.
From its inception phase in September 2010 Partnership for Nutrition
in Tanzania (PANITA) aimed to be successful, and inclusive civil
society forum that seeks to influence effective policy and practice
changes in Tanzania, mobilizing a wide range of stakeholders and
collaborating with private sector, international and local
organizations, and the Government of Tanzania. PANITA’s ambition is to
contribute to implementation of a coherent and comprehensive strategy,
scaling up of nutrition interventions at district, regional and
national level and improving the nutritional and food security
practices in the country. PANITA is planning to play a prominent role
in promotion and implementation of the National Nutrition Strategy and
Tanzania Food Security Implementation Plan, thus contributing to the
Government’s efforts at all levels to improve the nutritional status
of Tanzanian children.
Still, we have about 130 Tanzanian children from 0- 5 yrs old who die
every day due to malnutrition and 42 percent of children aged 0- 5
years being stunted. Despite some very good initiatives, civil
society, private sector, media and development partners are not
mobilized and coordinated well, and very often linkages between
different sectors (health, agriculture, food security, etc).are
inadequate. But the situation is not desperate; Tanzania is already
working hard on some of the priorities in regard to the issue of
nutrition. Development and finalization of the National Nutrition
Strategy covering the period 2010-2015 containing the framework for
the Government and its partners to work jointly on nutrition issues,
signing of the African Agriculture Development Programme (CADDP)
compact in July 2010 with nutrition being among the key priority
areas, setting up a Tanzania Agricultural and Food Security Investment
Programme (TAFSIP) with activities for advancing agriculture related
nutrition programmes – are just some of the results achieved so far.
But there are more to be done in the country especially for the most
vulnerable groups of population such as children aged less than five
years, pregnant women, lactating mothers, in line with the Millennium
Development Goals 4 and 5 related to reduction of child and maternal
mortality. Improving food and nutrition security and working in
collaboration with all actors is greatly contributing to achieving
these goals. PANITA is ready to share its values and to offer its
expertise in order to make it happen.
Dragana Strinic,
Africa Matters
