Windhoek: The Zimbabwe government has approved a new Nutrition Financing Strategy aimed at safeguarding the gains made in the fight against hunger, while stepping up efforts to curb the growing burden of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Zhemu Soda, announced the approval during a media briefing following a Cabinet meeting. According to Namibia Press Agency, Soda stated that the Cabinet had approved the strategy after observing significant progress in improving food security and nutrition across the country. Vice President General (Retired) Constantino Chiwenga, in his capacity as chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Food Security and Nutrition, presented the program. Soda highlighted the marked reduction in hunger due to government interventions, which improved Zimbabwe's Global Hunger Index score from 35.5 in 2000 to 20.9 last year. Soda attributed the progress to various initiatives, including the Pfumvudza/Intw asa farming program, improved access to agricultural inputs, the Food Deficit and Drought Mitigation Program, and efforts led by First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa promoting traditional food systems. However, he cautioned that these gains are threatened by changing dietary habits, particularly the increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and fast foods, leading to higher rates of obesity and diet-related NCDs. To address these challenges, the new strategy will allocate revenue collected from taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and fast foods to nutrition and NCD prevention programs. The funds will support programs across various strategic pillars, including health and nutrition, agriculture and food systems, human capital development, social protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), advocacy and communication, research and innovation, as well as coordination and program management. Soda explained that the strategy adopts a multi-sectoral implementation framework involving various ministries, dep artments, and agencies to ensure coordinated action. Priority interventions include scaling up nutrition programs for the first 1,000 days from pregnancy, expanding primary healthcare NCD prevention initiatives, promoting food fortification and safety, and increasing production of nutrient-dense foods. Additional efforts include strengthening traditional and climate-resilient food systems, supporting smallholder farmers, enhancing school health and nutrition programs, and rolling out nutrition education for communities and young people. The strategy also emphasizes behavior change communication, consumer awareness campaigns, nutrition surveillance systems, and research to generate evidence for informed policy decisions. Soda emphasized the government's commitment to intensifying public education to ensure citizens better understand nutrition policies. "Going forward, technical nutrition policies will be translated into accessible and widespread public information," he said. The strategy aims to strengthen Z imbabwe's long-term response to malnutrition in all its forms, ensuring that improvements in food security are matched by healthier diets and better nutrition outcomes for all citizens.