04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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Capacity Building for Better Nutrition in AfricaThe Case of the Applied Nutrition Programme (ANP), University of

Nairobi, Kenya

Mwangi A.M.

Applied Nutrition Programme

University of Nairobi

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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Background

Teaching and development research oriented programme

Core business is production of high quality multidisciplinary trained nutritionists through degree programmes

Been involved in research and development of prototype intervention designs

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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Background

1985 – Inception – following 1979 recommendations of Fact finding mission of 6 experts from UNU, ACC/SCN to four African Countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania

AIM: improve nutrition training, policy and performance for sustained development through production of high quality multidisciplinary trained nutritionists

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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Main Objective

Provide participants with abilities to: Assess nutritional problems from a multidisciplinary

point of view

Suggest and work out realistic and feasible intervention measures addressing identified priority problems

Conceptualize, design and implement studies, analyze data and write the results in form of research communication

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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The Experience For >decade, ANP benefited from both substantial and small

funding input from various development partners: governments of Germany, The Netherlands, Canada and

Denmark the USAID UNU, Sight & Life and UNICEF

mainly for infrastructure and human capacity development

In the interface from too much dependency on donor funding: commissioned assignments brought more resources to ANP GTZ, DAAD, German Foundation for International Development

and the UNU provided scholarships the university & government provided scholarships & salaries

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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The Experience

To date, UNU remains a valued scholarship source especially for non-Kenyan ANP MSc. Students (a maximum of 3 per year)

DAAD also funds some students – without research funds

UON – funds one or two outstanding former graduates

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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The Experience

Government – funds some of own employees from MOH, MOA, MOE

ANP also has benefited from the Ellison Medical Fund (EMF) – currently 3 Kenyan PhD fellows have received funding

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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Output

A total 209 people trained at MSc. level of which: 67% - Kenyan 26.5% - Other EA countries and the Horn of Africa 4.6% - Central, Western and Southern Africa 2% - Other parts of the world including the North.

High quality nutritionists as output – holding key positions

But, trends in registration – decreasing

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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Country Year of Registration and number of students registered %

85/86 87/88 89/90 91/92 93/94 95/96 97/98 99/00 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 Total

Kenya 9 7 7 9 8 9 10 23 15 10 10 9 7 7 140 67

Tanzania 1 1 2 1 1 - 2 1 1 - - - - - 10 4.8

Uganda 1 1 - 2 2 2 1 - - - - - - - 9 4.3

Ethiopia - 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 - 2 1 1 - 17 8.1

Sudan - - 1 2 2 - - - - - - - - - 5 2.4

Somalia - 1 2 2 2 - - 1 2 1 1 1 1 - 14 6.7

Malawi - - - 1 - - -- 1 - - - - - - 2 0.9

Zambia - - - - 1 1 - - - - - - - - 2 0.9

Zimbabwe - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 0.5

Ghana - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1 - - 2 0.9

Rwanda - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1 2 0.9

DRC - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1 0.5

Sweden - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - 1 0.5

Netherlands - 1 - - - 1 0.5

Brazil - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - 1 0.5

N. Zealand 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 0.5

Total 12 12 15 20 19 14 16 28 20 11 13 12 9 8 209 100

% 5.7 5.7 7.2 9.6 9.1 6.7 7.7 13.4 9.6 5.3 6.2 5.7 4.3 3.8 100 100

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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Challenges Funding deficits are the template for most

challenges – scholarships, staffing, teaching facilities etc

Highly qualified and well exposed staff – an asset as well as a threat

Collaboration with other institutions Curriculum reviews and improvement Poor access to journals and other literature ICT gaps Retraining of trainers and development workers Research funding

04/22/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007

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Coping strategies Privatizing university programmes Introducing other IGA e.g. provision of

services to the community at a fee Introduction of short courses for development

workers at a fee

However, better linkages and networking with other institutions are required.