Consultancy to develop the National Nutrition Regulation and Guideline for NaNA

Request for Expressions of Interest

Country: The Republic of the Gambia

Project Title: The Gambia Resilience, Inclusion, Skills and Equity Project RISE

Grant Number: P1729233

Assignment Title: Consultancy to develop the National Nutrition Regulation and Guideline for NaNA

Procurement Method: Individual Consultant Selection (INDV)

Reference No.: GM-CPCU - MOFEA-556550-CS-INDV

Background

The Gambia is a small country with a total area of about 10,690 square kilometers. It is surrounded on all sides by the Republic of Senegal, except in the West by the Atlantic Ocean. The population is estimated 2.42 million with a high population growth rate of 3.1 percent per year (Census, 2024). The 2017 Human Development Index shows the country rank at 174 out of 189 countries. Efforts to fight poverty have also proven ineffective with poverty levels remaining unchanged in the past decade (the percentage of households living below the poverty line of 1.25 $/day is 48.65 per cent in 2015 (HIS 2015/2016). The average GDP growth of 3 per cent per annum has barely kept up with population growth of 3.1 per cent. Data from the 2019/20 Demographic Health Survey (DHS) showed encouraging results for U5MR having dropped to 34 per 1,000 down from 54 per 1,000 live births in 2013, Maternal Mortality Ratio estimated 189/100,000 down from at 433/100000 live births in 2013. Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread and continue to pose serious public health risks. Anaemia affects 44.8% of children, and only 10.8% of households consume adequately iodized salt even though 77% do consume iodized salt. Vitamin A deficiency affects 18.3% of children under five (MICS 2018). These figures highlight the urgency of interventions such as supplementation, iodization, fortification, and biofortification, supported by regulatory frameworks like the Food Fortification Regulation (2020). Despite these efforts, gaps in coverage and compliance persist, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Strengthening supply chains, enforcement mechanisms, and public awareness campaigns will be essential to improving micronutrient outcomes. Infant and young child feeding practices show mixed progress. While 98% of children are breastfed, only 36% of mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth and 53.6% of children are exclusively breastfed. Complementary feeding remains inadequate, with just 15% of children receiving a minimum acceptable diet. The prevalence of malnutrition has improved with the DHS 2019/20 estimating stunting at 17.5% from 25% in 2013, wasting 5.1% from 12% and underweight 11.6% from 16%. These indicators reflect broader food and nutrition security challenges. The country produces only 50% of its food needs and over half the population (60.2%) do not have enough to meet their food expenditure, according to the Integrated Household Survey (IHS 2022). Climate change, low agricultural productivity, and population growth exacerbate these conditions, prompting national strategies focused on climate-smart agriculture, diversified and increased local food promotion and integration of nutrition into broader development efforts. Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) are on the rise, driven by poor diets, sedentary lifestyles, and urbanization. Hypertension affects 47% of adults, and obesity is significantly higher among women (20.2%) compared to men (3.9%) (WHO STEPS Survey 2019). Only 6.6% of the population meets WHO physical activity guidelines, reflecting lifestyle shifts associated with urbanization, poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles. The Fill the Nutrient Gap analysis 2025 shows that only 29% can afford a healthy diet. National responses focus on prevention by adopting appropriate dietary guidelines and lifestyles through social and behaviour change communication, and multisectoral collaboration. However, implementation remains fragmented, and greater investment in community-based prevention and promotion of healthy behaviours is needed. As a cross cutting issue, the improvement and implementation of nutrition interventions and programme requires a strong coordination mechanism to avoid duplication and gaps. The National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) was established in 2000 as a semi-autonomous government institution strategically placed under the Office of The Vice President through an Agency Board with the legal mandate to coordinate nutrition and nutrition-related activities and advocate for the mainstreaming of nutrition into the macroeconomic and sectoral policy frameworks, implement nutrition activities, monitor nutrition interventions and programmes, mobilize and manage resources in The Gambia. The Agency became a legal entity in 2005 through an Act of the National Assembly (Food Act 2005) which is now repealed and replaced by the Nutrition Act 2024. This ensures effective coordination of nutrition interventions across sectors. The Agency serves as the Secretariat to the National Nutrition Council (an inter-Ministerial body chaired by the Vice President), the country Scaling Up of Nutrition (SUN) Movement and the National Alliance for Food Fortification (NAFF). The Agency was charged with the overall coordination and implementation of the policy with the following core mandates: Coordination of policy implementation Implementation of nutrition activities Secretariat of the National Nutrition Council Nutrition policy analysis, research and indicative planning Monitoring of nutrition interventions and programmes Mobilisation, management and coordination of resources

Following the enactment of the Nutrition Act 2024, there is need to develop a regulation that is critical for establishing and formalising the multisectoral governance structures that ensure food and nutrition security and better help to understand and implement the Nutrition Act 2024. The regulation will also translate political commitment into actionable, accountable and sustainable interventions. To work on the development of a Nutrition