Banking on Nutrition 

The first 1000 days after conception are very vital in a child’s life. This is a formative stage where the child needs nutrients and protection to enable them to thrive.  Children who lack these key nutrients during the 1,000 days between conception and the age of two become stunted permanently.   This also makes them more predisposed to diseases as they are weaker.   According to data from the African Development Bank (AfDB), statistics from two years ago show that two out of five of the world’s stunted children under the age of five were living in Africa. This is an increase from the 2017 data that showed that only over one-third of five children were stunted.  Also Read:Safeguarding food security, nutrition in East Africa in the pandemic era  Africa is the only region in the world where the number of stunted children has risen in the past several years. This is not a good sign, especially in the wake of the global pandemics mutating and becoming more viral as days go by. Against this backdrop, AfDB has called for action to accelerate nutrition targets amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.  Banking on Nutrition Partnership Progress Report The African continent has the potential to become a powerhouse