The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers meeting convened in the Democratic Republic of Congo in November 2022, whereby member states demonstrated a significant commitment to prioritise and invest more in nutrition programmes. During this gathering, the SADC secretariat formally solicited assistance from UNICEF's Eastern and Southern Africa regional office to enhance the capabilities of the nutrition workforce within SADC member states. The primary objective of this partnership was to empower these states to actively engage in their national public finance processes. Additionally, it aimed to conduct a comprehensive baseline evaluation of the public funding allocated to nutrition programmes and to establish a tool for tracking progress in the reporting of public financing for nutrition initiatives.
This tool had specific objectives, namely: 1 Identify and record baseline data on nutrition financing:
This would serve as the starting point for understanding the current financial landscape of nutrition programs within SADC member states.
2 Measure and monitor nutrition expenditure: One of the tool’s primary functions was to enable the measurement and ongoing monitoring of nutrition expenditure to assist member states in tracking allocated funding over time.
3 Provide a regional overview of nutrition spending: Beyond individual states, the tool would enable the creation of a regional overview of nutrition spending. This broader perspective would allow for comparisons and collaborative efforts among member states to enhance nutrition financing.
4 Establish a benchmark of public spending on nutrition programmes: This benchmark would serve as a reference point against which member states could evaluate their funding commitments and make informed decisions regarding resource allocation for nutrition initiatives. In essence, the SADC Member States recognise the critical importance of nutrition and are determined to improve their investment and reporting mechanisms in this vital area. The development of this tracking tool and its specific objectives are key steps toward achieving these goals.
