A new African-led initiative aimed at advancing healthier, more equitable and climate-resilient food systems has been officially launched in Accra, marking a major step toward strengthening evidence-based policymaking on nutrition and agriculture across the continent.
The initiative, known as the Africa Regional Collaborative for Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH-ARC), was launched on April 30, 2026, at the University of Ghana. It brings together leading African research and policy institutions to improve the generation, synthesis and use of evidence in food systems transformation.
The Collaborative is designed as a regional science–policy platform that will generate, synthesise, and translate high-quality evidence into actionable policy and financing options, while embedding gender equity and climate resilience as central priorities.
According to the organisers, ANH-ARC seeks to build a strong African community of experts capable of placing rigorous, policy-ready evidence at the centre of decisions on diets, nutrition, and food systems transformation.
The initiative is co-led by the University of Ghana, the Policy Studies Institute in Ethiopia, and Stellenbosch University in South Africa. It also forms part of the global ANH Academy Science–Policy Platform, convened by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in collaboration with Tufts University and the University of Sheffield, and funded by UK International Development through the UK Government and the Gates Foundation.
Food systems across Africa are currently facing multiple pressures, including malnutrition in all its forms, rising food prices, rapid urbanisation, climate change, external global shocks, and fragmented governance systems. While the evidence base has grown, stakeholders say its translation into policy and practice remains inconsistent.
The ANH-ARC is expected to bridge this gap by strengthening the interface between science, policy and implementation.
Speaking at the launch, Professor Amos Laar, Principal Investigator of ANH-ARC at the University of Ghana, stressed the need for integrated decision-making across sectors.
He noted that current food systems decisions are often fragmented and called for a more connected approach.
He emphasised that “agriculture, nutrition, and health can no longer operate in silos – evidence must deliberately connect them to inform policy-relevant decisions.”
Dr Alebel Weldesilassie of the Policy Studies Institute highlighted the importance of financing and policy coordination in driving impact.
He stated that “effective food systems transformation for improving access to affordable, nutritious foods for all in Africa requires not only robust evidence, but also coherent financing strategies and policy coordination across sectors.”
Prof Kennedy Dzama, Dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University, also underscored governance as a critical factor in achieving long-term impact.
He observed that “strengthening governance systems and accountability mechanisms will be critical to translating knowledge into sustained impact at scale.”
Adding to the discussion, Dr Tseday Mekasha, Integration Lead of ANH-ARC at the Policy Studies Institute, stressed the need to integrate gender, equity and climate considerations into food systems interventions.
She cautioned that without this, “interventions risk overlooking distributional consequences and may fail to deliver outcomes that are resilient under increasing climate pressures.”
Representing the global ANH Academy, Dr Suneetha Kadiyala of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine highlighted the significance of African leadership in shaping knowledge systems.
She said that “platforms such as ANH-ARC are important not only because they strengthen the translation of evidence into policy, but because they model a more equitable and regionally grounded way of producing knowledge itself. Sustainable change depends not simply on better evidence, but on partnership structures that redistribute voice, leadership and agenda-setting closer to where decisions and impacts are felt.”
From the development financing perspective, Professor Sir John Edmunds, Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), welcomed the initiative.
“As Chief Scientific Adviser, I’m proud of the UK’s investment in the ANH Academy and of what the Africa Regional Collaborative represents – a strong commitment to equitable, Africa led research with real world impact.” he said. “It will strengthen scientific capability and connect researchers and policymakers to address some of today’s most urgent development challenges.”
The Gates Foundation also expressed strong support for the initiative.
“The Gates Foundation is proud to support the ANH-ARC initiative at a critical moment for African food systems,” said Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Director of Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems at the Foundation. “Bringing together leading research and policy experts from Ghana, Ethiopia, and South Africa, the collaborative will improve access to safe, affordable, and healthy diets by leveraging rigorous evidence rooted in local realities to inform climate-sensitive food and agriculture policies – leading to healthier, more equitable outcomes across the continent.”
Strategic partnerships will support the implementation of ANH-ARC’s objectives, including four sub-regional nodes covering Southern, Western, Eastern, and Northern Africa, alongside networks such as INFORMAS, the Africa Food Environment Research Network (FERN), REPSAO, the ANH Academy Food Environment Working Group, CCARDESA, the Southern African Food Lab, FE4H CoRE, and the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich.
The initiative is also aligned with major continental frameworks including the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the Kampala Declaration, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), aimed at strengthening coordinated and evidence-driven food systems transformation across Africa.
