Mapping Africa Transformations

Women Leading Change: Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli

This podcast series tells the stories of women as civil society actors, activists, authors, leaders, health and humanitarian workers, youth representatives, traders and entrepreneurs in the Sahel and West Africa.

Nourishing Equality: Transforming Food Systems for Healthy and Affordable Diets

This podcast series tells the stories of women as civil society actors, activists, authors, leaders, health and humanitarian workers, youth representatives, traders and entrepreneurs in the Sahel and West Africa. We gather first-hand examples of their outstanding work within local communities as well as their important contributions to advancing gender equality and positive change. These conversations also aim to better connect the Sahel and West Africa Club’s evidence-based analysis with civil society advocacy and action through dialogue and knowledge exchange.

How can food systems be transformed so that healthy and affordable diets are accessible to all?
In this episode, Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, explores key strategies to achieve this goal. She discusses diversifying diets with more locally sourced, nutrient-dense indigenous foods that require fewer resources to grow and are climate-resilient. Another critical approach is boosting productivity gains and market access of smallholder farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises through finance, training, and support for innovation. Additionally, Ndidi emphasises the importance of promoting women’s empowerment and investing in their nutritional literacy to enable healthier household dietary choices. A renowned expert on African agriculture and nutrition, Ndidi shares her insights as President and CEO of the ONE Campaign, founder of LEAP Africa, and co-founder of AACE Foods and Sahel Consulting.

Related reading: Healthy diets, costs and food policies in the Sahel and West Africa.