WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report, which maps multisectoral nutrition investments and stakeholders in Ethiopia, shows that funding for nutrition in Ethiopia has increased significantly since 2013, rising from US $181 million to $455 million in 2015. Funding for nutrition-sensitive programs in the social protection and WASH sectors accounts for 73 percent — or $333 million — of nutrition expenditures, followed by nutrition in emergency response programs ($68 million), and nutrition-specific programs ($54 million).
The report, Tracking Funding for Nutrition in Ethiopia Across Sectors, was developed by Results for Development on behalf on Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health. This analysis identifies funding flows for nutrition across sectors from fiscal years 2013–2014 and 2015–2016. It also shows that most funding for nutrition was contributed by development partners, who provided $405 million of the total $455 million.
“Understanding funding flows to nutrition by source, sector and region is a key step toward improving planning and coordination, mobilizing more domestic and external resources, and improving allocation efficiency,” said Augustin Flory, managing director for nutrition at Results for Development. “The Government of Ethiopia is leading by example, demonstrating its determination to base decisions on hard data.”
Ethiopia has made tremendous progress at improving nutrition among women and children across the country, with stunting (low height for weight) rates of children under 5 decreasing from 57 percent in 2000 to 38 percent in 2016, and the percentage of women with anemia decreasing from 27 percent in 2005 to 23 percent in 2016. However, rates of chronic and acute malnutrition are still high, with the prevalence of stunting at 38 percent of children under 5 and the prevalence of wasting (low weight for height) hovering at about 10 percent since 2011.
In 2015, the Government of Ethiopia launched the Seqota Declaration as a commitment to end child undernutrition in Ethiopia by 2030. The Seqota Declaration builds on and supports implementation of the National Nutrition Program, a multisectoral nutrition strategy that recommends the scale-up of evidence-based nutrition interventions using a lifecycle approach.
To aid these efforts, the Government of Ethiopia requested collaborative technical support from R4D to track funding for nutrition across sectors. The final report from this research and analysis identifies a set of programmatic actions to improve nutrition programming, including: (1) Increase investments in high-impact, cost-effective interventions to improve nutrition; and (2) Leverage existing nutrition-sensitive investments across sectors. It also recommends improved resource tracking and systems strengthening to ensure nutrition funding data informs decision-making and policy-setting on a routine basis. Together, this information will help ensure funding for nutrition is used effectively and efficiently towards maximizing the impact on nutrition outcomes.
Read the full report, which was funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).
Photo © Rod Waddington
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About Results for Development
Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too. For more information, visit our website at: www.r4d.org.
