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The Zambia National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC) says the nation can only develop if nutritional levels in the country are scaled up.
NCFN acting executive director Musonda Mofu said good nutrition was cardinal in improving the productivity of workers.
Mr. Mofu pointed out that people who have good nutrition from an early age tend to grow up more healthy and less prone to diseases than those that did not have nutritious food.
He said government was cognisant of this and has hence put in place ambitious measures and programmes aimed at scaling up nutrition in an effort to spar socio-economic growth in the country.
He said some of the measures and plans the state has initiated include the reduction of chronic malnutrition especially among children and set a target of reducing malnutrition levels by 50 percent in the next 10 years.
Mr. Mofu was speaking during the launch of the business network Zambia in Lusaka today.
The event was organised by the World Food Programme, the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance, and the United Nations among others.
Mr. Mofu has since called on the private sector, civil society organisations, corporate world and United Nation agencies to work with government in scaling up nutrition levels in the country.
He said government alone cannot manage to drive the nutrition agenda in the country, stressing that partnerships were therefore critical in realising the goal of curbing the challenge that malnutrition and stunting poses in the nation.
Mr. Mofu noted that government has made tremendous progress in addressing challenges associated with nutrition but said that more still needed to be done.
And United Nations Country Coordinator Janet Rogan commended Zambia for leading the way in scaling up nutrition not only in the Southern African region but the continent in general.
Ms. Rogan said the UN system places significant attention to improving nutrition levels in the globe particularly in developing countries.
She said this is because good nutrition plays a crucial role in the development of not only the physical bodies of people but also the growth of their mental faculties.
She said this ultimately plays a huge role in the development agenda of the country through heightened productivity among the workforce.
Meanwhile, Zambia Association of Manufacturers president Bright Chunga said poor nutrition compromises the delivery of goods and services to the citizenry as productivity is lowered.
Dr. Chunga has underscored the importance of improving the nutritional levels of people in the country, saying this was an investment in the future and a prerequisite for sustained economic growth.
He further noted that an investment in the nutrition programme was same as an investment in the infrastructure sector which raises capacity to enhance the productivity of the people.
