title: Multisector Nutrition Program Governance and Implementation in Ethiopia: Opportunities and Challenges.
abstract: Governments globally are stressing both direct nutrition interventions combined with nutrition sensitive policies and programs to combat malnutrition. Governance at all levels has been identified as a critical element in ensuring success of national nutrition plans. For example, the most recent National Nutrition Program (NNP) in Ethiopia discusses the essentiality of governance and coordination at all levels. The research uses a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with key informant. The research discussed in this article focuses on governance structures from national to regional to district level in Ethiopia with an emphasis on translation of a strategy and implementation of the NNP. This article concentrates primarily on results from the national and regional levels. Data at both the national and regional levels indicate that there is general agreement on the nature of the nutrition problems in Ethiopia. At all levels of government, under nutrition, food insecurity, and micronutrient deficiencies were listed as the main nutrition problems. The challenges in governance and implementation identified at both the national and regional levels, however, varied. The implementation of the 2013 NNP was in its early stages at the time of this research. While there was palpable energy around the launch of the NNP, respondents indicated issues related to leadership, coordination, collaboration, advocacy, and budget would be challenges in sustaining momentum.
authors.affiliation: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA eileen.kennedy@tufts.edu.
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Masresha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tessema
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Tesfaye
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hailu
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Dilnesaw
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zerfu
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Adamu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belay
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Girmay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ayana
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Desalegn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kuche
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Tibebu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moges
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Tsehai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Assefa
authors.affiliation: Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Aregash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.affiliation: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Tarik
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kassaye
authors.affiliation: Save the Children, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Habtamu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fekadu
authors.affiliation: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Wassenhove
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D005002:Ethiopia; D005523:Food Supply; D006078:Government Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000172:deficiency; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D011203:Poverty
chemical_list: D018977:Micronutrients
keywords: collaboration; coordination; governance; implementation; nutrition