ADDIS ABABA – June 13/2023 (NIPN/EPHI) - Food Science and Nutrition Research Directorate (FSNRD) tabled here yesterday a draft annual work plan of 2023/24 Ethiopian Fiscal Year (EFY) for discussion and final shape up. The execution of the annual plan, which indicates monthly detailed activities, is supervised by assigned coordinators or team leaders. Employees working for FSNRD have been grouped in five case teams. These case teams are Food Science and Technology, Laboratory, Nutrition and Dietetics, Environment and Food Safety. Leaders of the five case teams briefed discussants about the work plan that will be in the pipe line for the upcoming EFY. All these activities are accomplished by the entire team members.
Opening the discussion, FSNRD Director, Masresha Tessema (PhD) has given an overall view of the annual work plan. The director raised in his briefing about the major strong sides of activities accomplished in the just ending EFY. Formulating protocol to establish supervision system to improve food security situation in Ethiopia, making available researches through magazine, news, conferences or other platforms, entertaining queries forwarded by various bodies, conducting discussion with international partners (with a good case in point is the discussion held with Florida University under the theme “Improving Food Safety Status and Reducing Burden of Food-borne disease”)... These were among the appreciable achievements of the directorate, according to Masresha. The other thing raised as an encouraging activity was the execution of tasks, which had not been included in the previous plan.
FSNRD Director has also touched on the challenges the directorate faced while accomplishing activities during the just ending budget year. Accordingly, he said that poor procurement execution, unforeseen shortcomings that should have been included in the plan; (like recruiting human power), lack of laboratory chemical reagents, lack of field vehicles were among the challenges faced during the 2022/23 FY, according to the director.
Masresha underscored that intensified efforts would be exerted to accomplish activities during the coming budget year. Producing grant research essays and proposals, publishing scientific research papers, providing education to the public on healthy dietary, keeping nutritional information in data base, conducting seminar on nutrition and newsletter production were among the activities to be accomplished during the coming EFY, according to FSNRD Director. Baseline assessment of pilot Implementation of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in selected areas of Ethiopia, leverage system approach of Healthier and sustainable diet policy in Ethiopia (as a national survey) and understanding adolescents and their food environment in Ethiopia were the other activities to be accomplished by the directorate.
Masresha has also announced that FSNRD/EPHI got a grant for the center of excellence on Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) in East and Central Africa. He said that the title was given as an award for the meritorious works of the entire team members of the directorate and EPHI. He attributed this progress to all hard-working employees of the directorate and EPHI. However, Masresha reminded the staff members that if the ongoing efforts ebb away, the award will be taken back.
The Director said that every concerned employee should do the best of his/her capacity to the accomplishment of the annual work plan. “Outstanding activities will have to be given due emphasis during the coming budget year,’ he said. Masresha said that comprehensive appraisal meeting on activities would be held in the near future. He also underscored the need to coordinate for the common goal of better plan execution. Apart from dealing with activities to be carried out during the upcoming EFY, employees who have been teamed up under various case teams briefed about the status of the ongoing respective activities, pending and outstanding performances… how and when to put final endings to them.Employees of the directorate numbering about 30 were involved in the half-day discussion held at the premises of Ethiopian Public Health Institution. (NIPN/EPHI).
