Strong partnerships are essential for accelerating nutrition impact and scaling up evidence-based nutrition interventions across Ethiopia. Under Partnership for Improving Nutrition in Northern States (PINNS) 3.0 project, the Ethiopian Civil Society Coalition for Scaling Up Nutrition (ECSC-SUN), in partnership with Action Against Hunger (ACF), successfully delivered a five-day capacity-building training in Bishoftu from 26-30 October 2026.
The training brought together representatives from civil society organizations, private sector actors, and development partners to strengthen their knowledge, technical capacity, and advocacy skills on Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS), Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF), and nutrition accountability. Through interactive learning, practical demonstrations, and collaborative discussions, participants enhanced their understanding of proven nutrition interventions and developed strategies to advance maternal and child nutrition outcomes across Ethiopia.
During the first two days, participants explored evidence-based interventions aimed at addressing micronutrient deficiencies in Ethiopia. Sessions focused on the country’s maternal nutrition situation, the science and global recommendations supporting MMS for pregnant women, its effectiveness compared to Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation, and the national roadmap for scaling up implementation. Discussions on LSFF highlighted Ethiopia’s food fortification framework, standards and regulations, quality assurance mechanisms, compliance systems, and the roles of key stakeholders in improving nutrition outcomes.
The training also featured practical demonstrations on the rapid detection of fortified wheat flour and double-fortified salt, enabling participants to strengthen their understanding of monitoring tools, quality control systems, and accountability mechanisms.
From 28 to 30 October, participants advanced to sessions on advocacy and accountability, where they gained practical skills in stakeholder mapping, advocacy planning, community scorecards, accountability tools, and engagement with decision-makers. These sessions were designed to transform evidence and identified gaps into concrete advocacy priorities and actionable commitments for strengthening MMS and LSFF implementation across Ethiopia.
As a key output of the training, participants developed policy briefs and drafted one-year advocacy and accountability action plans aimed at promoting improved nutrition interventions and strengthening stakeholder engagement at national and sub-national levels.
Speaking at the closing session, Mr. Abebe Bimere, National Lead of ECSC-SUN, reaffirmed the coalition’s commitment to advancing Ethiopia’s nutrition agenda through sustained collaboration and capacity building.
“The fight against malnutrition requires strong partnerships, evidence-based advocacy, and collective action. ECSC-SUN remains committed to working closely with civil society organizations, government institutions, private sector actors, and development partners to strengthen nutrition interventions and achieve sustainable nutrition outcomes for all Ethiopians,” he said.
Mr. Abebe also emphasized the coalition’s intention to organize additional rounds of training and leverage the strength and reach of member civil society organizations to accelerate progress toward national nutrition goals.
ECSC-SUN will continue supporting follow-up actions and tracking commitments made during the training to ensure that advocacy efforts translate into meaningful improvements in nutrition policies, programs, and accountability systems across the country.
