ITANA:
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF NUTRITION IN AFRICA

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A group of 26 nutrition professionals from 17 African countries met at Uppsala University, Sweden, as participants in the Global Nutrition 2000 training programme on the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nutrition. Among other issues, they debated the issue of Nutrition in Africa and came to the realization that Africa is probably the only Continent in the World without a Nutrition Society, which adequately encompasses scientific expression and communication on the nutrition agenda for the Continent. They felt that there was a need to develop Nutrition in Africa and create opportunities for greater interaction in the field. Furthermore, the great strides being made in the field of ICT have not left the field of Nutrition unaffected. As such, ICT has made great inroads in Nutrition not only in terms of faster, and better, communication among Nutrition professionals but also in policy formulation and implementation.

In view of these developments, nutrition professionals (all participants of the Global Nutrition programme 1998 - 2000) from 36 countries in the African continent resolved to organize the first ever conference on the role of Information Technology in the Advancement of Nutrition in Africa (ITANA). Information technology was deemed critical for development as well as an important subject, which, by necessity, must form an integral part of the African renaissance. Concurrently at the conference, ITANA was inaugurated and its Council was duly elected.

Last updated: 02-May-2006