By Dr. Samson Mideksa
The National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN-Ethiopia) advisory committee had experience-sharing visit to India. Participants included representatives from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ministry of Water and Energy, Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Ethiopia. Ethiopian visiting delegation received a warm welcome from GIZ-India with the presence of H.E. Fesseha Shawel, Ambassador of Ethiopia to India. The ambassador highlighted the deepening ties among the three nations: Ethiopia, India and Germany.
The team visited the national and state nutrition centers in New Delhi, Bhopal and Hyderabad on the governmental initiatives of community engagement strategies in food and nutrition-focused activities. These include large-scale food fortification (FF), double fortified salt (DFS) with iodine and iron, community nutrition gardens, and nutrition digital systems. During the visit, the team observed practical demonstrations of wheat and rice fortification with iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid, as well as oil fortification with vitamins A and D. Notably, National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) showcased innovative, locally developed technologies, such as test strips used to detect milk adulteration.
Ethiopian delegation visited India's grassroots model for early childhood development, health, and nutrition at the Anganwadi Centre. Model implemented through ICDS, NRHM, and SRLM. The delegation observed how the Anganwadi Centre serves as a critical delivery point for five core services aimed at improving child and maternal well-being. These include:
- Nutrition Support: Anganwadi provide hot meals (self-help group (SHG)-prepared, using fortified public distribution system (PDS) ingredients) and ‘Take Home Ration’ (THR) (packaged fortified food for children, pregnant/lactating women, adolescent girls).
- Early Learning: Children (3-6 years) engage in play-based pre-school education.
- Health Services: Immunization drives and VHNDs are conducted with ASHA workers/NRHM.
- Education & Monitoring: Mothers/caregivers receive health/nutrition guidance; fortified food meets FSSAI standards with worker training.
- SHG Empowerment: Cooking meals provides SHGs income and fosters ownership/accountability.
This exchange aimed to foster knowledge-sharing, strengthen institutional capacities, and lay the groundwork for sustained partnership between Ethiopia and India. Key lessons from India included:
• Large-scale innovative food fortification efforts, including the use of double fortified salt (iodine and iron) and bio-fortification as scalable solutions.
• Expansion of Human Milk Banking systems.
• Community-level models such as Community Nutrition Gardens and Skill Centers that integrate nutrition with multiple sectors.
• Insights from India’s Poshan Abhiyaan, particularly the use of data portals and tracking tools to combat malnutrition.
• Enhanced nutrition data integration, analysis, and dissemination to inform evidence-based nutrition policies.
Drs. Masresha Tessema and Archana Sarkar did debrief session at Ethiopian Embassy. In each sectors a significant strengthening ties and triangular cooperation among Ethiopia, India, and GIZ in the realms of nutrition and development initiatives. Finally, H.E. Fesseha Shawel Gebre, Ambassador of Embassy of The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in India said the visit has been very fruitful. Then he said that we extend our sincere thanks to the Government of India, the Government of Germany, GIZ, and the various Indian institutions that participated in this initiative. Furthermore, H.E. Molalign Asfaw, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in India states that the delegates have learned a great deal, and clearly highlighting the key takeaways. These insights will certainly help the delegation to adapt these lessons.
