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Nutrition-relevant policy in West Africa: a comprehensive review

Recent years have witnessed a growing political commitment to addressing West Africa’s high rates of maternal and child malnutrition. Despite this commitment, West Africa is not on track to achieve World Health Assembly (WHA) targets. There is a need for appropriate policy choices and program actions to generate sustained change at scale. This report contributes to the evidence base by examining what malnutrition issues current nutrition-relevant policies in the West Africa region are addressing. This synthesis, informed by qualitative analytical work, sheds light on the gaps and opportunities in current nutrition-relevant and nutrition-oriented policy. It identifies some of the changes that are needed for the improvement of policies within and across sectors throughout West Africa; it also offers insights into the ways in which both existing and future policies can create and sustain an environment that is conducive to addressing these issues and achieving key nutrition targets.