The private sector takes greater responsibility in promoting nutrition
SBNMOZ’s Advisory Committee was sworn in December 2018, in Maputo. During the ceremony, Agostinho Vuma, chairman of CTA and private sector champion for nutrition showed the private sector’s interest in taking greater responsibility in promoting nutrition, for and to the private sector..
Meanwhile and considering that businessmen do not know much about the topic, Agostinho Vuma urged on the event, the Network’s secretariat to immediately conduct a capacity building session of the committee members. In response to this request, SBNMOZ conducted on the 20th February 2019, a capacity building session of the committee, in issues related to introduction to nutrition, nutrition and business and food systems in nutrition, which was also attended by the members of the committee and CTA at central level and from Cabo Delgado, Manica, Nampula, Sofala, Tete and Zambézia provinces.
The capacity building session was conducted with co-facilitators represented at the top level by Lawrence Haddad, GAIN’s Managing Director at global level and Karim Manente, WFP representative in Mozambique.
For Agostinho Vuma, committee’s chairperson, this event will “serve as an echo for the message on the role of the private sector in general, in improving nutrition and, mainly, on the “nutrition business”. It is time for the private sector to take its role as the main actor in consumers’ food choices and change the current scenario.”
SBNMOZ’s Advisory Committee plans to conduct these meetings once a year, in order to define and assess the relevant and high impact activities that involve the private sector in the improvement and or expansion of nutrition, both through the increase of the productive capacity as well as through advocacy for the adoption of nutrition policies at the workplace, for the benefit of the companies involved.
SBNMOZ Advisory Committee members are:
- Agostinho Vuma – Committee’s Chairman and Champion of SBNMOZ and Chairman of CTA
- Adelino Buque – Vice-chair for CCTA’s Agribusiness department
- Alexandre Bacião – Managing Director of ProConsumers, a consumers’ association
- Sérgio Chusane – Managing Director of H2N, Mozambique’s health and nutrition promotion association
- José da Cruz Francisco – Lecturer at UEM
