Ministry of Health director of nutrition Felix Phiri says the ministry is finalising the review of the Nutrition Policy to be ready for use next January.
In an interview on the sidelines of a briefing ahead of the opening of a global Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) conference in Lilongwe on Monday, he said the review is covering gaps in the current policy to address nutritional challenges which the country is grappling with.
“We are now at an advanced stage. We want to have it approved by the Cabinet by December so that by January 2024, we should be using it,” said Phiri.
Malawi developed the first National Nutrition Policy and Strategic Plan in 2007 with the goal to facilitate the improvement of the nutrition status of all Malawians with emphasis on children under five years, pregnant and lactating women, school aged children and other vulnerable groups such as people living with HIV and people affected by emergencies.
be approved soon
The policy was reviewed in 2018 by formulating a multi-sectoral nutrition policy covering both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions.
One of the organisers of the conference Suneetha Kadiyala from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said scholars and researchers in all the three fields are expected to make presentations over the course of the four-day conference.
She said the 8th annual ANH conference will also provide linkages for further research and studies by the participants.
The conference convenes the global community of researchers, practitioners and policymakers working to address the most pressing challenges relating to food systems, climate change and health.
Over 400 experts are expected to attend, both in-person and online, with the aim of sharing knowledge.
