ICON: innovative cooperative for optimal nutrition

About Solution

243.5 million people in Africa suffer from malnutrition (FAO, 2016), which is almost 1 in 4 persons. Children and vulnerable people are the most affected by hunger. More to this scourge, a new form of malnutrition has appeared, caused by excess of junk food, which can be the cause of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity...(WHO, 2017)

"The problems of undernutrition or overnutrition are always part of inappropriate choices and practices." Nutritional education is an important step in giving consumers the opportunity to opt for healthy diets. (FAO, 2018)

To deal with this issue, 16 African social entrepreneurs have decided to put their efforts together

The overall objective of these 16 actorsis to create a framework of exchanges and actions to accelerate the production, trade and consumption of local highly nutritious food products.

This framework of exchange is materialized in the form of a cooperative, ICON "Innovative Co-operative for Optimal Nutrition", which must ensure a food optimisation from the farm to the table, achieving a larger collective economic, social and environmental impact on nutrition in Africa.

This sustainable development approach considers the social, environmental and economic aspects of the food chain values.

Three strategic axes have been identified to enable the promotion of optimum nutrition for all in Africa. These are:

1st objective: Building the capacities of social innovators & knowledge management of innovations.

This objective includes:

  • Creation and anchorage of the inter-African cooperative: ICON.
  • Creation collective brand.
  • Creation online platform.

2nd objective: Creating added value for local nutritive products.

This objective includes.

  • Technical support to ICON members
  • Continuous improvement of packaged products
  • Use of collective brand

3rd objective: Educate & advocate on nutrition.

This objective includes.

  • Create a nutritional kit for school
  • Promoting local nutritious solutions
  • Conducting educational campaigns

ICON believes that the best way to fight against malnutrition and hunger is to bring together different actors, with different skills around the same goal, in a context of sustainable development.

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