Working paper: Tracking investments in nutrition in Africa

Drawing on projects in four African countries to review different methods for tracking national-level nutrition investments

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There is considerable interest in greater transparency and accountability for aid expenditures. One result of this is that countries receiving external assistance have been encouraged to put effort into tracking spending. Efforts to track health expenditures have been underway, and following the recent increase in donor assistance for nutrition, there has been interest in tracking nutrition expenditures.

Tracking nutrition expenditures is more difficult, as nutrition tends to span several ministries as well as involving multiple stakeholders. We review the experience of four countries (Tanzania, Madagascar, Ethiopia, and Malawi) which have employed different methods. We review the factors affecting the choice of tracking method, and how well this serves country and donor interests.

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