Former DPM Demeke Urges African Nations to Boost Domestic Financing to Combat Malnutrition

Addis Ababa, October 13, 2026 (ENA) — Former Deputy Prime Minister and YADAM Foundation Board Chairman Demeke Mekonnen has called on African countries to strengthen domestic resource mobilization, improve public financial management and adopt innovative financing mechanisms to combat malnutrition.

Speaking at the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Nutrition in Addis Ababa, Demeke highlighted Ethiopia’s experience, citing the Seqota Declaration’s target of mobilizing 638 million USD for nutrition reforms by 2030 and efforts to strengthen nutrition budget tracking.

He urged African governments to move beyond fragmented, short-term funding arrangements and adopt sustainable financing mechanisms that make effective use of available resources.

Amid declining official development assistance and growing competition for international aid, Demeke stressed that government commitment must translate into concrete action, including dedicated budget allocations, coordinated implementation across sectors, rigorous expenditure tracking and accountability for results.

Highlighting Ethiopia’s institutional arrangements, he commended the Ministry of Finance for its role in allocating and safeguarding funding for the Seqota Declaration and broader national nutrition initiatives.

Demeke also reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to ending stunting among children under two and underscored the need to accelerate the implementation of national food and nutrition policies.

He said sustainable nutrition financing requires coordinated contributions from governments, development partners, the private sector and communities. 

While development partners can provide financial and technical assistance, private sector investment in local food production and community-led initiatives can help expand resources and improve access to nutritious food.

Demeke further called on governments to integrate nutrition priorities into national budgets and multiyear expenditure frameworks, supported by evidence-based economic analyses demonstrating the costs of hunger and the benefits of investing in nutrition.

He said demonstrating the economic and social returns of nutrition investments would help policymakers close funding gaps, allocate resources more effectively and prioritize programmes that strengthen human capital.

Drawing on his involvement in the Seqota Declaration since its launch, Demeke emphasized the importance of sustained political leadership, cross-sector collaboration and financing plans tied to measurable results.

He encouraged participating countries to share experiences, address implementation challenges and adopt proven domestic and innovative financing approaches. 

He also called for practical roadmaps and evidence-based investment cases to engage finance ministries, development banks and private investors in mobilizing resources for nutrition programmes.

The High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Nutrition, taking place in Addis Ababa from October 12 to 16, brings together Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) focal points and finance ministry representatives from Ethiopia, Botswana, Eswatini, Liberia, Kenya and Sierra Leone.

The forum aims to strengthen coordination between finance ministries and national nutrition coordination bodies, validate tools for developing nutrition investment cases and establish sustainable financing mechanisms.

Drawing on Ethiopia’s experience, participants are working to develop roadmaps for mobilizing domestic and international resources to support nutrition programmes across the region.