Primary Prevention

PREVENTION

PRIMARY PREVENTION

As project holder of Smarter Futures and key partner, IF is driven by its mission to decrease the birth prevalence of spina bifida and hydrocephalus through primary prevention measures and to improve the quality of life for those living with these disabilities. IF represents over 80 Member Associations worldwide of which 14 are located in Africa, notably Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These associations, healthcare professionals, and other interested partners provide advocacy, primary and secondary prevention activities in the countries where they are based.

Between 2007-2021, Smarter Futures has worked together with flour millers, governments, vitamin and mineral suppliers, international organisations, and academic institutions to make fortification of wheat and maize flour a reality in Africa. This public-private-civic partnership is also called Smarter Futures.

Smarter Futures brings together the milling industry, governments, and development partners to support the implementation of national flour fortification programs and aims to improve the nutritional quality of wheat and maize flour in Africa. We do this by providing training to millers, regulatory inspectors, program managers, and regional and international agencies on quality assurance and quality control, monitoring and surveillance, cost-benefit analyses, and fortification advocacy. This is of course relevant not only for Africa but can also be applied elsewhere.

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The success of Smarter Futures has been significant. Over the first 15 years of Smarter Futures’ existence, 41 countries in Africa have participated in its workshops, trainings, meetings, and other events. Of these countries, 29 (70% of all countries in Africa) now have legislation to mandate the fortification of wheat flour alone or in combination with maize flour, while another six countries allow the voluntary fortification of either flour, and – though no country in Africa mandates the fortification of rice yet, we mapped opportunities for rice fortification. Six countries do not (yet) have fortification, but about half of them are planning to do so in the near future.

Tremendous progress has been made across Africa since Smarter Futures began. Read the report to learn more about Smarter Futures 15 years of impact here. 2

1. Smarter Futures website. https://www.smarterfutures.net/ 2. Food Fortification Network , the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (2021). Smarter Futures 15 years of impact. https://www.ifglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Smarter-Futures-15-Year-Summary210128.pdf