King Letsie III Demands Global Action to Close Africa’s $34 Billion Nutrition Gap
His Majesty King Letsie III, the African Union, and African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) Champion have issued a strong call for the world to address Africa’s worsening nutrition crisis.
He urged global partners to view nutrition financing as an urgent investment in stability and prosperity rather than a mere optional expense.
Speaking at the High-Level Side Event on “Nutrition as the Smartest Investment – Africa’s Call for Catalytic Financing” during the Doha Summit on 4 November 2025, King Letsie III underscored that Sub-Saharan Africa requires USD 34 billion over the next decade to fund essential, life-saving nutrition programmes.
He warned that failing to close this gap puts millions of children at risk and threatens the continent’s economic future.
“Every dollar invested in nutrition yields up to USD 23 in returns through better health, education, and productivity,” His Majesty told delegates, stressing that Africa’s development is intrinsically linked to the nourishment of its people. He reminded global leaders that adequate nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life can prevent nearly half of all child deaths worldwide, a fact he described as “a moral and economic imperative that cannot be ignored.”
King Letsie III called on African governments to redirect resources towards high-impact, low-cost interventions such as micronutrient supplementation, iodised salt, balanced complementary feeding, and improved maternal nutrition. He criticised the fact that most African nations allocate less than one per cent of their national budgets to nutrition, labelling this situation as “wholly inadequate and in need of urgent correction.”
He also cautioned that international financing for nutrition has declined at a time when Africa needs it most. However, he welcomed the African Development Bank’s USD 9.5 billion commitment to nutrition-sensitive agriculture as a significant step forward.
Inviting Gulf partners, global philanthropies, and private investors to join the financing effort, the King stated, “True prosperity begins with well-nourished people.”
His remarks resonated deeply as Lesotho continues to grapple with persistently high levels of child malnutrition. The latest Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee (LVAC) report reveals a troubling reality: 32.9 per cent of children under five are affected by stunting—well above the World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency threshold of 20 per cent. Every district in the country exceeds this limit, with the highest rates reported in Qacha’s Nek at 43.7 per cent and Thaba-Tseka at 40 per cent. Stunting is particularly prevalent among boys and in rural areas.
While acute malnutrition (wasting) rates are low, the prevalence of underweight children stands at 10.3 per cent nationally, disproportionately affecting girls and urban children. The report attributes these outcomes to declining household purchasing power, persistent food insecurity, and climate-related shocks that continue to disrupt agricultural production.
The agricultural sector, which remains the backbone of food production for most households, is also under pressure. Yields per hectare have decreased, leading to a national maize production forecast that is 19 per cent lower than the previous season. Unequal access to land further complicates production: 58 per cent of male-headed households have access to land, compared to 52 per cent of female-headed households, despite women being crucial to small-scale farming and household food supply.
However, the LVAC report identifies areas of progress. Nutrition Clubs, more prevalent in rural areas, have proven effective in improving household dietary diversity. The report recommends scaling up these clubs to promote small-scale farming, home gardens, and nutrition education—particularly targeting vulnerable groups such as pregnant and breastfeeding women and women of childbearing age.
