By Thompson ABISOLA
Mali’s economy is losing 265 billion CFA francs (450 million U.S. dollars),or more than four per cent of the country’s annual GDP, due to the effects of child under-nutrition, the Afruican Union (AU) has said,
According to a statement, the multi-agency study undertaken by the government of Mali, under the leadership of the AU Commission, indicated that the cost of hunger in Mali is created by the challenges attributed to increased healthcare costs, additional burdens on the education system and reduced workforce productivity.
The study further unveiled that 47 per cent of the adult population in Mali were affected by stunting as children, while 34 percent of infant mortality cases in the West African country are associated with under-nutrition.
According to the AU’s statement, Mali’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Boubou Cisse, indicated that the results of the study “demonstrate the urgency for Mali to mobilize more efforts to significantly reduce child malnutrition in order to achieve the 2030 SDGs.”
He further called for an increased commitment to achieve the nutrition targets contained in the global 2030 Agenda and Africa’s flagship agenda – Agenda 2063, the statement added.
