Africa-Press – Uganda. Uganda’s private sector players have been urged to move from the periphery to the centre of food and nutrition strategies.
The call was made on Tuesday as stakeholders in the food sector leaders met at a high-level breakfast meeting.
The event, hosted at the Sheraton Hotel under the CASCADE project, brought together government officials, civil society, donors, and the private sector to discuss how to finance agri-food systems for better nutrition outcomes.
Immaculate Daisy Yossa, Cascade Consortium Manager with CARE International in Uganda, reminded participants that most food consumed in households today is provided by private sector actors.
“They may be big. They may be small. It may be a supermarket. It might be a woman selling food by the roadside. She’s a private sector in her own right,” she said.
But she cautioned that the private sector must not only supply food, but ensure it is nutritious and affordable.
“How is private sector making a critical contribution towards ensuring that the food is affordable? Even for that last mile woman in Karamoja, is she able to go to the market, especially in times of scarcity where drought is ridden, are they able to afford through purchasing that food?”
Yossa emphasised the concept of “nutrient-dense” food – meals that contain the right mix of nutrients to support growth and health. “It is not just food. It is healthy. It is nutritious,” she said.
She encouraged private sector players to shape national policy, including the review of the school feeding programme.
“We are influencing the review of the school feeding policy. I’m happy today we’re already having conversations. How do we have the voice of the private sector in the school feeding policy?” Yossa said.
Michael Opio of CARE Uganda echoed the call for greater business involvement.
“Why isn’t the private sector investing in nutrition as much as other sectors? What can we do to make nutrition a viable business opportunity?” he questioned.
He argued that businesses should see Uganda’s demographic dividend as an opportunity. With millions of school-going children and women in the market, nutritious food products could drive both social impact and profit.
Agnes Kirabo of the Food Rights Alliance warned that Uganda must shift from talk to action.
“We should stop talking. Because when we continue talking, we are fantasising the problem. Can we get on the ground and start working?” she said.
She stressed that civil society has a vital role in connecting communities to services and supporting innovation.
“Even when we want to create food businesses, even when you want to live in the population as the market, we need to deliver services to the people that are doing this work,” she said.
Prof. Alex Ariho of AAIN called for modern, scalable business models. “You are piloting models but when are you going to scale. We are using old models hence need to shift and skill for the market,” he said.
The meeting concluded that unless the private sector plays a central role in making food nutritious, affordable, and accessible, Uganda’s malnutrition crisis will persist.
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