With the alarming increase in the number of undernourished people in Africa, an ambitious initiative is emerging to fight malnutrition across the continent. In partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), key stakeholders from different African countries have committed to a four-year program aimed at building capacity in the use of stable isotope techniques to improve nutritional status children in Africa.
This innovative program, entitled MSc in Nutrition with Nuclear Techniques, is already operational. It provides specialized training to enable nutrition professionals to design and evaluate interventions to combat micronutrient deficiencies. Stable isotope techniques, which use non-radioactive atoms to identify nutritional gaps, are at the heart of this targeted and precise approach.
Professor Linda Malan, from North West University in South Africa, has been at the forefront of developing the program. It highlights the scale of the problem of malnutrition in Africa and its devastating impact on the health and development of children, as well as women of childbearing age. Micronutrient deficiencies, such as iron and zinc, are common in Africa, and plant-based diets often do not allow for optimal absorption of these essential elements.
This Master’s program aims to fill technical and laboratory gaps in Africa to assess the bioavailability of micronutrients and establish diets that promote their absorption. By training a new generation of nutrition experts with skills in stable isotope techniques, the program aims to significantly reduce malnutrition rates and promote sustainable economic development.
By joining forces, African universities, United Nations agencies and local governments can methodically eradicate the scourge of malnutrition plaguing the continent. This strategic partnership highlights the importance of innovation and international collaboration to address the most pressing challenges of our time.
To learn more about this promising initiative, I invite you to visit the following link: [Link to full article].