04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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
04/19/23 34th SCN Meeting, Rome 25th Feb to 1st March 2007
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04/19/23 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
04/19/23 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.