One hundred days into the presidency of Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, the African Development Bank stands at a defining moment. With an historic 76 percent mandate from shareholders, Dr. Tah has been entrusted to lead Africa’s premier development institution into a new era. His election reflects both confidence and expectation: confidence in his track record as a development leader, and expectation that he will not only sustain but also accelerate the Bank’s transformative agenda.
Dr. Tah inherits a proud legacy. Under 10 years of Akinwumi Adesina’s leadership, the Bank redefined nutrition as central to development, framing it as “grey matter infrastructure.” This bold narrative elevated nutrition from the margins of social policy to the heart of economic growth. The Feed Africa initiative, launched under his leadership in 2016 , acknowledged what economists and health experts had long argued: malnutrition is not just a health problem, it is a productivity and prosperity problem. Today, millions of African children still suffer stunting and micronutrient deficiencies that limit their ability to learn, earn, and lead. Addressing these challenges remains one of the highest return-on-investment opportunities for the Bank and its partners.
The challenge for Dr. Tah is not whether to continue this trajectory, but how to expand its scope and deepen its impact. Based on my 15 years of work on nutrition, food security and health, working with smallholder farming communities across 33 countries in Africa, these are three opportunities that are especially urgent.
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First, governments – under the Ministry of Health and in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture – must be supported to generate reliable, comprehensive, and timely data through national food consumption and micronutrient surveys. Too often, African countries operate in the dark, relying on outdated or fragmented information. Without knowing what people eat, what nutrients they lack, and how health status and diets are changing, policy is left to guesswork.
High-quality surveys such as the 2021 Nigeria National Food Consumption and Micronutrient survey provide the evidence base to design school feeding programs, target social protection, guide agricultural investments and trade, and measure progress against global nutrition targets. They also empower governments to own and lead their agrifood system and nutrition agendas rather than depend solely on donor-driven data systems. AfDB can play a catalytic role by convening resources, building capacity, and embedding survey systems into national statistical infrastructure.
Second, the cost of healthy diets must become a headline development metric. Africa is the region where nutritious foods are most expensive relative to incomes , placing fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein beyond the reach of millions. The consequence is a double burden: persistent undernutrition alongside rising obesity and diet-related diseases. Investing in reducing the cost of healthy diets is therefore both an equity and competitiveness strategy. It requires financing innovations across the agrifood system, from improved seed systems and infrastructure to market integration and fiscal policies that shift incentives toward healthier options. The Bank’s leadership in agricultural transformation equips it to make this the next frontier of Feed Africa: not only increasing yields, but ensuring that what grows reaches plates in affordable, diverse, and nourishing forms.
Third, the continent must move toward fully traceable and transparent agrifood systems. In an era of climate disruption, escalating food safety concerns, and global trade pressures, African consumers and global markets alike are demanding higher standards. Traceability is no longer a luxury; it is the passport for African products to compete in regional and international markets. Transparency builds consumer trust, protects public health, and unlocks export potential. By championing digital platforms, blockchain solutions, and harmonized standards, AfDB can accelerate Africa’s shift from fragmented markets to integrated, trusted food economies, and strengthen the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This would support not only nutrition and health across Africa, but also trade and industrialization, reinforcing the legacy investments in the Bank’s High 5 priorities.
The path forward is clear. Dr. Tah’s leadership offers the chance to align Africa’s nutrition agenda with the broader vision of resilient, inclusive, and competitive economies. By scaling up national survey systems, prioritizing the affordability of healthy diets, and advancing traceable food systems, AfDB can anchor nutrition as both a moral imperative and an economic strategy. This is not charity; it is smart economics. Every dollar invested in nutrition yields at least sixteen dollars in returns through improved productivity, reduced healthcare costs, and enhanced human capital.
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Africa cannot afford to delay. Half of the workforce that will power the continent in 2050 is under the age of eighteen today. The choices made now will determine whether this generation thrives or is held back by preventable malnutrition. AfDB, under Dr. Tah’s stewardship, has the credibility, mandate, and capacity to lead this charge. What is needed is boldness, the same boldness that redefined nutrition a decade ago, now applied with even greater ambition.
The first hundred days are a signal of intent. The next thousand will test delivery. By placing nutrition at the core of his presidency, Dr. Tah can ensure that Africa’s development rests on a foundation of healthy, capable people. Grey matter infrastructure built the case. Now it is time to extend its reach and secure its promise.
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Mercy Lung’aho leads the Food Security, Nutrition and Health Program at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (iita.org). She received her Ph.D. in Food Science and International Nutrition from Cornell University. She is a member of the American Society for Nutrition, the African Nutrition Society and a registered nutritionist at the Kenya Nutrition and Dietetics Institute, among others.
