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Some simple lessons Sri Lanka can learn from Senegal to improve nutrition policies

Make Nutrition a Top Priority

They put nutrition directly under the Prime Minister's office, showing it was really important. Sri Lanka could do something similar to make sure nutrition gets high-level attention.

Work Together, Across Departments Senegal got different government departments (like health, farming, and education) to work together on nutrition. Sri Lanka needs all its ministries to cooperate and include nutrition in their plans, not just the health ministry.

Have a Long-Term Plan

They had a national nutrition program that lasted 15 years, giving them a clear path forward. Sri Lanka would benefit from a detailed, long-term national nutrition strategy.

Empower Local Communities

They used local groups and volunteers to deliver nutrition services right in the communities. Sri Lanka should focus on strengthening local governments and community workers to reach more people, especially in remote areas.

Fund Nutrition Properly

Senegal faced challenges because other sectors didn't always set aside money for nutrition. Sri Lanka must ensure that all relevant government bodies allocate a specific budget for nutrition activities and look for money from different sources, not just the central government

IM. Hasby

HNT2401-055

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What lesson can Sri Lanka apply to improve our policies from the Senegal paper?

1.They created the Unit for the Fight Against Malnutrition (CLM) under the Prime Minister's office. It gives the nutritionally high political visibility and legitimacy.

2.Their 15-year Nutrition Enhancement Program (PRN) coordinated action across all 45 departments showing multisectoral approaches, strong community level service delivery and volunteer based frontline networks.

3.The CLM actively facilitated multisectoral coherence, bringing together health, agriculture, education, and other sectors with specific nutrition objectives and budgets.

4.Integration of nutrition into education (school health policy), agriculture (though limited), and health sector policies with specific nutrition objectives.

5.The 2015 National Nutrition Development Policy specifically addressed giving more responsibility and funds to local governments for nutrition showing the decentralization of power.

6.Government funding to CLM-coordinated programs matched World Bank funding by 2014 and exceeded it thereafter, showing strong government ownership.

7.Senegal’s policy revision process was participatory involving civil society, high politicians and international partners.

Supun Rajapakshe

PHN2401-054

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A key learning from Senegal is the way that they emphasize Nutrition Literacy and Behavior Change of its people.

Senegal placed a strong focus on community awareness, especially through their national program and community level health volunteers known as Relays. These Relays regularly engaged with families, conducted growth monitoring, educated mothers on infant feeding, and helped promote positive nutrition behaviors across the community. This consistent, grassroots-level communication played a vital role in improving how people understood and acted on nutrition advice.

From the above Sri Lanka can do the same by focusing on public understanding of the new food labeling and advertising regulations. To make this effective:

Use mass media (TV, radio, social media) to explain the purpose of front-of-pack labeling in simple, relatable language. These campaigns should highlight how to interpret the labels and make healthier choices based on them.

Introduce interactive sessions in schools, especially targeting children and adolescents to build early understanding of food labels and nutrition messages.

Engage working mothers and enhance their knowledge through workplace outreach programs, community health workers, and PHMs to show how food labels can be used to select better options for their families, even with limited time.

Develop digital content, such as short videos, infographics, or even WhatsApp-based tips, that break down label reading into simple daily actions—especially targeting urban populations who are highly exposed to packaged food.

Train PHMs and grassroots workers to integrate basic label education into their existing home visits and nutrition counselling.

HNT2401-003

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Embed nutrition-sensitive objectives and budgets in existing health, education and agriculture policies.

Empower and train bottom-line health care workers to improve outreach in rural and underserved areas, while ensuring they are fairly compensated.

Use bottom-up consultations in designing and updating national nutrition strategies to ensure local relevance.

Establish specific budget lines for nutrition within sectoral ministries and district/grama seva authorities to avoid donor dependency.

Develop nutrition tracking device systems to track malnutrition.

Build capacity of local authorities to integrate nutrition in local development plans, backed by training and providing funds.

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1. Establish a High-Level Coordinating Body for Nutrition

Lesson from Senegal

Senegal created the Cellule de Lutte contre la Malnutrition (CLM), a high-level, multisectoral coordinating body housed in the Prime Minister’s office. This institutional arrangement gave nutrition visibility and authority, enabling alignment across ministries like health, agriculture, education, and finance.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka should consider strengthening or establishing a central coordination mechanism (e.g., under the Presidential or Prime Minister’s Secretariat) to mainstream nutrition across sectors. This body should be empowered to convene stakeholders, coordinate policy and program coherence, and monitor implementation.

2. Institutionalize a National Nutrition Program with Clear Goals and Reach

Lesson from Senegal:

The Programme de Renforcement de la Nutrition (PRN) was a nationwide program targeting under-5 children and women, implemented across all 45 departments using local NGOs and government agencies. It had a clear mandate, was community-focused, and enjoyed sustained political and financial support.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Expand and institutionalize existing child and maternal nutrition programs into a unified national nutrition program with defined targets, a multisectoral implementation plan, and long-term sustainability. Partnerships with local authorities and NGOs should be formally integrated into this structure.

3. Develop and Implement a Multisectoral Nutrition Policy Framework**

Lesson from Senegal:

Senegal’s 2015 National Nutrition Development Policy provided a multisectoral roadmap, integrating agriculture, health, education, water, and sanitation, and included a budget framework and specific indicators.

**Application in Sri Lanka:

Update or develop a comprehensive national nutrition policy that includes:

* SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) nutrition goals

* Sector-specific roles and responsibilities

* Nutrition-sensitive targets across agriculture, education, social protection, and health

* Budgetary allocations for each relevant sector

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4. Strengthen Subnational and Community-Level Implementation

**Lesson from Senegal:

Through decentralization, Senegal empowered local governments and frontline workers (Relais, ADCs) to implement and monitor nutrition services. This localized approach improved service delivery and built trust in communities.

**Application in Sri Lanka:

Empower Provincial and Local Authorities to:

* Include nutrition as a budget line item in local development plans

* Train and support local public health staff and volunteers to deliver and monitor nutrition interventions

* Tailor interventions to the specific needs of communities (e.g., plantation areas, urban poor)

5. Secure Sustainable Domestic Financing

**Lesson from Senegal:

Senegal increased domestic financing for nutrition, eventually matching and then exceeding World Bank funding. This improved program ownership and sustainability.

**Application in Sri Lanka:

Gradually increase domestic budget allocations for nutrition to reduce dependency on donor funding. Institutionalize funding mechanisms for nutrition-sensitive interventions in health, agriculture, and education ministries.

6. Promote Cross-Sectoral Nutrition Awareness and Accountability

**Lesson from Senegal:

The CLM actively promoted nutrition awareness among sectors. Ministries that previously saw nutrition as irrelevant were gradually integrated through dialogue and shared accountability frameworks.

**Application in Sri Lanka:

Establish regular cross-ministerial forums, joint reviews, and shared nutrition indicators within sectoral performance frameworks. Train sectoral leaders on how nutrition aligns with their mandates (e.g., education and cognitive outcomes, agriculture and food diversity).

7. Monitor and Evaluate through a Unified Framework

**Lesson from Senegal:

Senegal used coordinated indicators across sectors and collected community-level data to track impact. This was key for adjusting strategies and maintaining accountability.

**Application in Sri Lanka:

Develop a national multisectoral nutrition monitoring and evaluation (M\&E) framework that captures inputs, outputs, and outcomes at national and local levels. Use this data to guide funding, planning, and corrective actions.

HNT2401-054

THESJ De Silva

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Parami:

Strengthen Sri Lanka’s Public Health Midwife (PHM) network by integrating more community-led growth monitoring and maternal counselling.

Train and support village-level nutrition volunteers for GMP and home visits.

Foster community empowerment of nutrition outcomes to ensure sustainability.

Involve Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Women & Child Affairs through a central nutrition task force.

Introduce incentive-based funding for local public health teams and schools that meet child nutrition improvement targets.

Expand use of digital nutrition surveillance tools to track stunting, wasting, and underweight indicators at Divisional Secretariat level.

Strengthen maternal and child nutrition interventions within MOH clinics, especially targeting the first 1,000 days.

Scale up micronutrient powder distribution, iron-folic acid supplementation, and fortified foods for young children.

Leverage donor partnerships more strategically to scale up proven interventions and build institutional capacity (e.g., food fortification labs, training centers for community nutritionists).

Strong focus on Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) to promote breastfeeding, hygiene, and dietary diversity. Ex: TV and social media campaigns

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Natioal plan for local development is best for the Sri lanka to achiev a development startergy HNT2401-58

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1. Strong leadership – Senegal placed nutrition under the Prime Minister.
Sri Lanka can give high-level priority to nutrition.

2. Multi sector action – Health, agriculture, education worked together.
Sri Lanka should improve cross-sector coordination.

3. Community role – Volunteers delivered services locally.
Sri Lanka can expand community health outreach.

4. Clear policy & funding – Senegal set goals, roles, and budgets.
Sri Lanka need to update policies with targets and funds.

5. Local involvement – Sri Lanka can empower local governments. NAME -M K T R S Bandara (HNT24052)

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Amila Weerasinghe - HNT2401-008

Prioritize Political Commitment and Funding

Senegal: Government gradually increased funding for nutrition, matching and surpassing donor contributions.

Sri Lanka can:

Increase budgetary allocations for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs.

Advocate for nutrition as a national development priority, linking it with NCD prevention, cognitive development, and economic productivity.

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1.Institutionalize a National Nutrition Program with Clear Goals and Reach

The Programme de Reinforcement de la Nutrition (PRN) was a nationwide program targeting under-5 children and women, implemented across all 45 departments using local NGOs and government agencies. It had a clear order, was community-focused, and enjoyed sustained political and financial support. Therefore expand and institutionalize existing child and maternal nutrition programs into a unified national nutrition program with defined targets, a multisectoral implementation plan, and long-term sustainability. Partnerships with local authorities and NGOs should be formally integrated into this structure.

2. Develop and Implement a Multisectoral Nutrition Policy Framework

Senegal’s 2015 National Nutrition Development Policy provided a multisectoral roadmap, integrating agriculture, health, education, water, and sanitation, and included a budget framework and specific indicators, Update or develop a comprehensive national nutrition policy that includes:

* SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) nutrition goals

* Sector-specific roles and responsibilities

* Nutrition-sensitive targets across agriculture, education, social protection, and health

* Budgetary allocations for each relevant sector

3. Secure Sustainable Domestic Financing

Senegal increased domestic financing for nutrition, eventually matching and then exceeding World Bank funding. This improved program ownership and sustainability, therefore, Gradually increase domestic budget allocations for nutrition to reduce dependency on donor funding. Institutionalize funding mechanisms for nutrition-sensitive interventions in health, agriculture, and education ministries

PHN2401-056

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01.High level of political commitment and multi sectoral coordination. Such as national, international and community levels

02.Understanding the specific challengers and address the specific issues

03.Continuous evaluation about the developed policies

04.To improve child nutrition empowering the women

05.Address the triple burden of malnutrition

(PHN2401-052 - W.W.R.HASANTHIKA)

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High-Level Political Commitment: Senegal created a powerful national body (CLM) under the Prime Minister to coordinate nutrition efforts.

→ Sri Lanka can form a similar high-level, multisectoral nutrition authority.

Multisectoral Approach: Senegal included agriculture, health, education, and finance in nutrition planning.

→ Sri Lanka should strengthen coordination across these sectors for better nutrition outcomes.

Community Involvement: Senegal used community health volunteers (Relays) to deliver services and raise awareness.

→ Sri Lanka can expand its community health outreach with trained volunteers.

Clear Nutrition Policies: Senegal updated its nutrition policy with clear goals, roles, and funding sources.

→ Sri Lanka should revise policies to define sector roles, set nutrition targets, and allocate funds.

Decentralized Action: Senegal empowered local governments to implement and fund nutrition programs.

→ Sri Lanka should involve local councils more in planning and delivering nutrition services.

Stable Funding: Senegal gradually increased government funding to reduce reliance on donors.

→ Sri Lanka should invest more public funds in nutrition programs for sustainability.

HNT 2401-054

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1. Establish a High-Level Coordinating Body for Nutrition

Lesson from Senegal

Senegal created the Cellule de Lutte contre la Malnutrition (CLM), a high-level, multisectoral coordinating body housed in the Prime Minister’s office. This institutional arrangement gave nutrition visibility and authority, enabling alignment across ministries like health, agriculture, education, and finance.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka should consider strengthening or establishing a central coordination mechanism (e.g., under the Presidential or Prime Minister’s Secretariat) to mainstream nutrition across sectors. This body should be empowered to convene stakeholders, coordinate policy and program coherence, and monitor implementation.

2. Institutionalize a National Nutrition Program with Clear Goals and Reach

Lesson from Senegal:

The Programme de Renforcement de la Nutrition (PRN) was a nationwide program targeting under-5 children and women, implemented across all 45 departments using local NGOs and government agencies. It had a clear mandate, was community-focused, and enjoyed sustained political and financial support.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Expand and institutionalize existing child and maternal nutrition programs into a unified national nutrition program with defined targets, a multisectoral implementation plan, and long-term sustainability. Partnerships with local authorities and NGOs should be formally integrated into this structure.

3. Develop and Implement a Multisectoral Nutrition Policy Framework

Lesson from Senegal:

Senegal’s 2015 National Nutrition Development Policy provided a multisectoral roadmap, integrating agriculture, health, education, water, and sanitation, and included a budget framework and specific indicators.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Update or develop a comprehensive national nutrition policy that includes:

SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) nutrition goals

Sector-specific roles and responsibilities

Nutrition-sensitive targets across agriculture, education, social protection, and health

Budgetary allocations for each relevant sector

4. Strengthen Subnational and Community-Level Implementation

Lesson from Senegal:

Through decentralization, Senegal empowered local governments and frontline workers (Relais, ADCs) to implement and monitor nutrition services. This localized approach improved service delivery and built trust in communities.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Empower Provincial and Local Authorities to:

Include nutrition as a budget line item in local development plans

Train and support local public health staff and volunteers to deliver and monitor nutrition interventions

Tailor interventions to the specific needs of communities (e.g., plantation areas, urban poor)

5. Secure Sustainable Domestic Financing

Lesson from Senegal:

Senegal increased domestic financing for nutrition, eventually matching and then exceeding World Bank funding. This improved program ownership and sustainability.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Gradually increase domestic budget allocations for nutrition to reduce dependency on donor funding. Institutionalize funding mechanisms for nutrition-sensitive interventions in health, agriculture, and education ministries.

6. Promote Cross-Sectoral Nutrition Awareness and Accountability

Lesson from Senegal:

The CLM actively promoted nutrition awareness among sectors. Ministries that previously saw nutrition as irrelevant were gradually integrated through dialogue and shared accountability frameworks.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Establish regular cross-ministerial forums, joint reviews, and shared nutrition indicators within sectoral performance frameworks. Train sectoral leaders on how nutrition aligns with their mandates (e.g., education and cognitive outcomes, agriculture and food diversity).

7. Monitor and Evaluate through a Unified Framework

Lesson from Senegal:

Senegal used coordinated indicators across sectors and collected community-level data to track impact. This was key for adjusting strategies and maintaining accountability.

Application in Sri Lanka:

Develop a national multisectoral nutrition monitoring and evaluation (M\&E) framework that captures inputs, outputs, and outcomes at national and local levels. Use this data to guide funding, planning, and corrective actions.