Malawi's First Dietetics Program: Lessons from a Multi-Pronged Approach to Building Human and Institutional Capacity for Nutrition

In the face of the growing double burden of malnutrition in Africa, Malawi became one of a handful of countries in sub-Saharan Africa to develop and implement its own dietetics program, with support from the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition and USAID Malawi. The multi-faceted role that registered dietitians play in improving quality of life through multidisciplinary clinical nutrition care, nutrition programming and policy engagement, in communities and hospitals, is recognized globally. Yet, more than 60% of African countries do not have dietetics training programs, consequently leading to a severe shortage of dietitians in health service delivery.

Join this webinar hosted by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition to learn more about a pioneering dietetics program that has led to the genesis of the dietetics profession in Malawi. Speakers will share on the development, implementation, challenges and future directions for the program. Malawian academic and government stakeholders’ will also share their perspectives on the introduction of dietetics training, as well as the future of the program and the profession in Malawi.