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On April 20, 2021, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and the Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis formerly launched the National Information Platform for Food and Nutrition (NIPFN) through a live televised session on NTV.

NIPFN is an international initiative of the European Commission, supported by the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The platform brings together information from various institutions that have an impact on nutrition outcomes. One of the key issues it responds to is lack of a harmonised platform for nutrition-related information.

While various institutions and organisations generate and utilise nutrition-related information, there is a gap as information is not mainstreamed. The platform aims to address this gap by developing a repository which consolidates nutrition-related data and further utilises it to develop evidence-informed decisions and policies.

NIPFN aims to build the capacity of key actors and institutions by:
• Creating a platform that brings together relevant information;
• Strengthening the capacity of people within relevant institutions to track progress in meeting nutrition-related commitments;
• Building the capacity of policymakers and programme planners to use the evidence for making decisions.

The initiative therefore focuses on both people and products. Products in this case refers to reports, statistical summaries, policy briefs, a repository of data and a web portal with information, while people refers to the generators and users of data and stakeholders in the lead institutions (KIPPRA and KNBS) and in other government organisations that generate and utilise nutrition data.

Some of the products to be unveiled during the launch include:
• An Analysis on Nutritional Anthropometric Trends in Kenya. This report looks at the progress Kenya is making in reducing malnutrition and whether the nation is likely to achieve national and global targets.
• An Analysis of the National Progress and Household Characteristics Associated with Stunting. This report looks at some household characteristics that are highly linked with stunting in children as an implication of where the government can direct future efforts.
• Food Security Situation During COVID-19 Wave 1 and 2 Report. This report looks at the food security situation of Kenyans during the early onset of the COVID-19 in 2020.
• Review of Policies on Food Security and Nutrition. This report reviews food and nutrition policies and strategies in Kenya and summaries key findings.

The various reports can be accessed through the NIPFN website:
https://nipfn.kippra.or.ke/nipfn-project-launch/

The Agriculture & Food Authority (AFA) has launched the Agriculture Information Management System (AIMS). The system developed to replace tedious paper-based, manual operations and facilitate automated business processes has been developed with funding from Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) through TradeMark East Africa.

During the launch, Agriculture CAS Lawrence Omuhaka representing the Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, reflected on the challenges in service delivery which are expected to be solved by the new system.
The challenges include:
• Lengthy application procedures requiring stakeholders to physically visit AFA offices for services.
• Inadequate and inaccurate accountability of crop production by stakeholders in the field through submission of annual returns on the platform by farmers.
• Lack of reliable data and statistics for decision making on better regulation and administration of agricultural commodities.
• Tedious export and import processes and
• Duplication of efforts in service delivery by AFA Directorates

The statement further noted that through AIMS, traders will be able to access regulatory services from AFA from the comfort of their locations.

The system will significantly improve service delivery through:
• Reduction of transactional time and cost in applying for and issuing permits/licenses/certificates regulated by AFA Directorates, as the system eliminates the need for physical presence or interaction.
• Enhancing process visibility by enabling traders to trace their application and related transactions in real-time through the system.
• Advancing trade document integrity through the introduction of security features that enable authentication and verification of documents submitted, and issued to traders.
• Improving access to information relating to production, processing, and trading in agricultural commodities regulated by AFA Directorates, thereby eliminating a key barrier to trade – access and availability of information
• Incorporating electronic payments by integrating to both online and mobile banking hence increasing convenience in submitting applications and paying for services.
• Availing data for analytics and other business intelligence functions that will support regulatory and trade operations

This system will facilitate registration, licensing and provision of production, processing and trade information on all scheduled crops regulated by Agriculture and Food Authority

Acting AFA Director-General Harsama Kello thanked TradeMark East Africa and the Danish government for the financial and technical support in the development of the system. He added that the system will change the way they will do business with the private sector as the bureaucracies that have been existing will be eliminated thereby shortening the time that processes were taking.

The National Assembly this week ratified the Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Kingdom, opening the Kenyan market to about 2,000 products, whose import tariff will either be lowered or zero-rated.