DataDENT hosted an event in Addis Ababa to disseminate outputs from two activities: 1) key findings from a comprehensive assessment of Ethiopia’s food and nutrition data ecosystem and 2) recommendations from a costed plan to strengthen capacity for the national scale-up of two multisector nutrition information systems – UNISE & RTPM. Over 50 representatives from the government and partners organizations attended the event. DataDENT team members from Results for Development and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health presented during this event.
Ethiopia has strong demand for data across food and nutrition stakeholders from the federal down to kebele level. Through the Seqota Declaration Ethiopia has invested in data innovations, including the UNISE, which monitors multisector program implementation, & the RTPM, that tracks partners and budgets. However, there is a need to strengthen existing systems and invest in capacity strengthening across the data value chain.
Recommendations from the assessment include:
• Develop a national food and nutrition data strategic framework with clear governance and coordination roles.
• Strengthen collection of food & nutrition indicators in sector specific administrative data systems like the AgMIS and Food Fortification Information System and integrate them with the UNISE.
• With the uncertainty around the DHS Program, plan for the future of food & nutrition surveys
Recommendations from capacity development plan include:
• Define clear roles and job descriptions for all actors involved in UNISE and RTPM implementation.
• Strengthen SOPs, and leverage the Triangle of Knowledge Partnership (TOKP) between woreda-level government actors and local universities for capacity building.
• Regularly monitor system performance to ensure data user needs are being met.
