Review Article
Year: 2017 | Month: October | Volume: 7 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 252-255
Undernutrition in Africa: Economic Implications
Ovikuomagbe Oyedele
Department of Economics, Babcock University, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
Despite the global challenge that undernutrition poses, the continent of Africa has a greater number of undernourished persons. Evidences of undernutrition in the form of stunting, wasting and underweight children as well as adults abound in all regions of Africa. This has only negative health and thus economic consequences on individuals, households and the development of the continent. The first impact is the decline in the quality of human capital in the current and future period and the resulting decline in labour productivity and economic growth. The backward dragging effect of under nutrition is the reason why sincere and well-targeted government and private interventions are paramount towards recording great reductions in undernutrition prevalence.
Key words: Undernutrition, Health, Africa, Economic Implication, Stunting, Wasting