External Evaluation of Mobile Phone Technology-based Nutrition and Agriculture Advisory Services in Africa: Final Tanzania Mixed Methods Evaluation Report

Abstract

This final mixed methods report forms part of the external impact evaluation of mNutrition in Tanzania. The evaluation was conducted by a consortium of researchers from Gamos, the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) between 2016 and 2020.

Mnutrition was a global initiative supported by DFID, organised by GSMA, and implemented by in-country mobile network operators (MNOs) and other providers to use mobile technology to improve the health and nutritional status of children and adults in low-income countries. In Tanzania, mNutrition was implemented through the ‘Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby’ (HPHB) SMS (text messaging) programme, which is part of the Wazazi Nipendeni mHealth platform. The programme was run by the mHealth Tanzania-PPP initiated by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with financial support from the US Government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Wazazi Nipendeni is targeted at pregnant women and mothers of young children, as well as their partners (husbands, etc.). It is available nationally on all phone networks. The HPHB SMS service sends free text messages in Swahili on a range of pregnancy and early childhood issues. Nutrition was a small component of the original HPHB SMS service but was extended substantially with the addition of the mNutrition content.

This report summarises the final findings of the mNutrition evaluation in Tanzania drawn from across the three interlinked evaluation components (quantitative, qualitative and business model) and structured around the key overarching evaluation questions. For more details on the technical and methodological aspects of the evaluation please refer to the separate methods-specific technical reports.