The Iodine Blog - December 2022

As the year draws to a close, we at IGN would like to thank our partners, donors, and all of those who helped to sustain and improve iodine nutrition in 2022.

We end the year with some pieces of good news.

First, we are proud to be recommended as a top-rated organization for improving human wellbeing by Giving What We Can, following an extensive evaluation of our cost-effectiveness by Founders Pledge. You can read more about why they chose us here. We thank both organizations as well as all our donors.

We have been trying for some years to improve access to iodized salt in Sudan, which currently stands at about 15%. Because of basic, and often outdated, methods of salt production, particularly by small producers, and a lack of national mandatory legislation for enforcement, there is no proper monitoring, resulting in poor-quality non-iodized salt. Non-iodized salt is readily available (often at a lower price), making it difficult for the few companies that produce quality iodized salt (3 plants) to maintain production. IGN’s Regional Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa has worked with the salt industry, government and other stakeholders over many years to raise the visibility of the problem. With the International African University, IGN co-hosted a high-level meeting in Khartoum engaging senior government officials, salt industry representatives, and leading experts in the field of iodine nutrition in Sudan and globally, as well as international development agencies including UNICEF, WFP and WHO In October 2022. The Prime Minister attended and new national legislation has now been approved. IGN, in collaboration with UNICEF, will continue to work with the government and the salt industry on issues such as quality control and enforcement, and on improving capacity of the salt industry.

To better understand trade structures linking supply and demand of iodized salt in West and Central Africa, IGN partnered with The Broker, a think tank for sustainable development, to review the regional trade of iodised salt in West and Central Africa. The review investigated the main trends based on the available trade data and information gathered through a series of country-level studies in Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Côte D'Ivoire, barriers, and opportunities concerning the regional trade of iodised salt. As part of a broader regional cooperation with UNICEF, a workshop was organized with government delegates from the 5 countries in November to find a common way forward to facilitate intra-regional trade of quality iodized salt.

There are many other stories of partnership and progress to come. We look forward to working with all of you in 2023 to make them happen.