DC says nutrition vital for economic development

District Commissioner for Zomba Charles Thombozi has  said good nutrition and health, especially in children, are vital for meaningful development.

He made the remarks when he presented Trainer of Trainers nutrition certificates to 29 district nutrition coordinating committees (DNCC) in Liwonde, Machinga.

“Stunting is a very serious issue, with Malawi standing at 47 percent. We need to work hard to reverse the situation as most of the children are affected physically and mentally; hence, affecting their contribution to development when they are adults,” he said.

Thombozi said he had confidence in the teams, drawn from Zomba and Ntcheu. The committees are involved in the implementation of scaling up nutrition (SUN) programme under the Catholic Relief Commission.

One of the facilitators, Maggie Chiwaula, who is also Zomba District Health Officer (DHO) said stunting compromises overall health, growth and development of a child. She said stunting in the first critical 1000 days of a child’s life is associated with permanent, irreversible negative impact on the child’s overall physical and intellectual development.

“Stunted children start school late, they are likely to drop out of school and may fail to achieve their academic potentials. In general, children affected by stunting in early childhood have lower performance in school and these inefficiencies impose extra costs on education system. It is estimated that stunting contributes to three percent loss in gross domestic product (GDP) every year,” Chiwaula explained.

Economists have estimated that high levels of stunting and micronutrient deficiencies create an overall drag on a country’s productivity that lowers GDP by two to three percent and that if Malawi had had an additional two percent on its GDP annually, over 40 years from 1968 to 2008 for example, the country’s present level of GDP would have been 500 percent higher today. —Mana