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Mohamed Ag Bendech Honoured with the Distinguished Nutrition Award for Africa
The Africa Nutrition Society at the 7th Africa Nutrition Epidemiology Conference, held in Marrakech in October 2016, honoured Mohamed Ag Bendech; Senior Food and Nutrition Officer for FAO Regional Office for Africa with the prestigious Africa Award for Distinguished Services to Nutrition on the Continent.
In a citation during the award ceremony, the Executive Council of the Africa Nutrition Society lauded the humility and dedication of Mohamed to improving nutrition in Africa, beginning in his home country of Mali where he started his research in Nutrition Epidemiology in the early 1990s and rising to become the Africa Regional Nutrition Adviser for Helen Keller International and consequently joining the United Nations Children Fund and eventually becoming the Regional Senior Food and Nutrition Officer for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Africa. Flagship programs Mohamed shaped during his Nutrition Career include vitamin A supplementation through child health days, reaching over 50 million children twice-yearly, food fortification programs which is reaching over 130 million consumers and sustainable nutrition sensitive agriculture and food systems across several countries and regional economic communities in Africa. Mohamed was instrumental in leading the prioritization of nutrition in national as well as regional agriculture and food security investment plans and strategies across Africa and pioneered Urban Food Systems Analysis and the Renewed Effort against Child Hunger on the Continent. He continues to mentor several young African Nutrition Professionals and lectures in strategic regional nutrition capacity development programs and institutions in Africa. Over the course of his career, Mohamed has authored and co-authored several peer reviewed scientific publications, chapters of books and reports on Nutrition and is currently a member of the Independent Expert Group (IEG) of the Global Nutrition Report (GNR).
The nutrition community extend hearty congratulations and acknowledges with pride the contribution of Mohamed Ag Bendench to reducing and eliminating malnutrition in all its forms and wish him all the best as he begins his retirement.