During the African Development Bank’s annual meetings in May, the importance of investing in nutrition to promote Africa’s “grey matter infrastructure” was highlighted as a game-changer in the continent’s development agenda. Panelists in the side event on “Developing Africa’s Grey Matter Infrastructure: Addressing Africa’s Nutrition Challenges” emphasized the critical role of nutrition, not only for Africans’ cognitive and physical development but also for economic growth throughout Africa. Participants agreed that multisector collaboration, political leadership, and resource mobilization will be central to ending malnutrition in Africa. Recognizing the role of human capital for robust economic growth, the African Development Bank has included nutrition as a focus area under its five operational priorities. Learn more about these discussions in a full summary of the event.
Additional highlights from this week’s Compact2025 News in Brief include:
- Network analysis of nutrition stakeholders in India documents how actors are interconnected and how they influence maternal and child health policy.
- WHO has undertaken its first-ever strategic exercise on nutrition.
- New guide to SDG Interactions examines the synergies between them, including a detailed analysis of the interactions between SDG 2 and other goals.
