GAIN is delighted to welcome Ms. Wubet Girma as the new Country Director, Ethiopia. Ms. Girma is an international development and cultural relations professional with over 15 years' experience, a track record of leadership in Non-Governmental Organisations - vested in the acceleration of human, social, and economic capital.
In Ethiopia and Nigeria, food safety is a pressing issue – in 2019, 33% of surveyed Ethiopian and 20% of surveyed Nigerians experienced serious harm from food and water, leading to illnesses, malnutrition, stunting in children, and even death.
As a nation, Ethiopia joins over 125 countries that have embarked on coordinating efforts for inclusive, multistakeholder Food Systems Summit Dialogues to engage around the vision of the "people’s summit". All over the world, countries have been holding – and in some cases continue to hold – national and sub-national dialogues to surface and prioritise needs and actions.
On April 27, The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, GAIN, launched the Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network (SBN) in Ethiopia. Co-convened by the World Food Program, SBN Ethiopia engaged all relevant small and medium-sized businesses involved in the country’s food sector to scale up and invest in the nutrition agenda.
Access to fortified foods for infants and young children can be difficult, especially for low-income families. Having worked in different civil society organisations, I see how powerful the partnerships the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has with the market-based actors. Through public-private engagements, we work to increase the access to and create the demand for nutritious food for caregivers to give to their children. Placing extra attention on affordability makes my work extra meaningful.
