Nutrition dynamics in Africa: Opportunities and challenges for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals

The African Nutritional Epidemiology Conferences (ANEC)
The Africa Nutritional Epidemiology Conference (ANEC) is the leading regional nutrition conference in Africa held biennially in various parts of the continent. ANEC provides a forum for nutrition scientists, public health professionals, academics, students and field-based workers in Africa and the rest of the world to meet regularly to share their research findings and best practices and tobuild capacity to address nutritional challenges in Africa (the Africa Nutrition Agenda). Additionally, ANEC has sought to build professional networks and partnerships to support nutrition programmes and projects in Africa. In 2008, it
became necessary to have an oversight nutrition body with a registered status to oversee the activities of ANEC events. To this end the African Nutrition Society(ANS) was registered as a scientific professional body and initiated as a unified continental nutrition profession of individual members, to provide a continental professional scientific forum, promote training, research and capacity building in nutrition and contribute to workforce development to meet Africa’s nutrition and health policy agenda. The ANS’s ultimate goal is to provide a home for nutritional scientists and other allied professionals, and contribute to programmes and projects aimed at improving nutrition in Africa and reducing the burden of disease. Through our efforts it is our hope the ANEC events will create a forum that will foster an atmosphere to promote collegiality and bring together individuals across Africa and other parts of the world to work together towards building and promoting the nutrition profession and practice in Africa. Next year our ANEC conference will hosts its seventh event in Marrakech, Morocco from October 9 – 14. For more information: ANEC VII