Child stunting could reach 16% in West and Central Africa by 2050
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Togofirst
Driss Zine Eddine, the World Bank’s sector director for Health, Nutrition and Population in West and Central Africa, says child malnutrition remains inadequately addressed in public budgets. At the current rate, average stunting could still reach 16% in the region in 2050, according to his interview with Togo First.
If current progress continues, the average rate of childhood stunting in West and Central Africa could still reach around 16% in 2050, Driss Zinedine, the World Bank’s sector director for Health, Nutrition and Population in the region, told Togo First. He described this prospect as unacceptable and said malnutrition undermines countries’ development prospects.
In the interview, Driss Zinedine said that one in three children in the region suffers from stunting and that 65 million women are anaemic. He linked malnutrition to its effects on productivity, employment and wealth creation. Discussions included the Regional Conference on Nutrition and Early Childhood Development held in Lomé in May 2026.
The World Bank official identified two obstacles to increasing national budgets for nutrition: a lack of political priority and macroeconomic and budgetary constraints. He advocated making existing spending more effective and mobilising more domestic resources. The region’s tax revenue-to-GDP ratio is below 15%, compared with a recommended threshold of 20%, he said.
