Nutrition
A healthy nation: Why maternal and child nutrition must be a national priority
Every hour, two Ghanaian children die from nutrition-related causes, deaths that are entirely preventable with the right investments. Yet, nutrition continues to receive less than 0.4 per cent of Ghana’s health budget. As donor funding declines, the future of maternal and child nutrition in Ghana hangs in the balance.
The first 1,000 days of life, thus, from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday, are the most critical for human development. Poor nutrition during this crucial window can lead to irreversible harm, including cognitive delays, weakened immunity, poor school performance, and limited earning potential. Ghana loses over GH¢4.6 billion each year to malnutrition through lost productivity and increased healthcare costs, yet essential nutrition interventions remain underfunded or reliant on external donors.
Research has shown that up to 60 per cent of Ghana’s nutrition programming is funded externally. The withdrawal of USAID alone threatens a funding shortfall of $156 million, including significant cuts to maternal and child health programmes, nutrition supplements, mobile clinics, and support for treating severe acute malnutrition. Over a million children may lose access to vital care as a result.
Policy and structural gaps further compound the crisis. Ghana lacks laws enforcing nutrition standards for pregnant women and young children. Nutrition is poorly integrated into national development plans and receives fragmented support across ministries.
To change current trends, Ghana must honor its pledge of allocating USD 6 million annually, made at the recent Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris, for the procurement of essential nutrition commodities. Achieving this requires establishing a dedicated budget line for nutrition, enhancing coordination across sectors, and strengthening domestic resource mobilization efforts.
Women, Media and Change, a national Non-governmental Organization, is committed to supporting advocacy on malnutrition under its project “Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition”. The initiative seeks to strengthen national policies on nutrition and ensure that decision makers prioritise investment in high-impact nutrition interventions
Nutrition is not charity; it is a right. A nourished child today becomes a healthy, productive citizen tomorrow.
– 2 cups of fresh spinach
-1 cup of almond milk
-1 cup of coconut water
-2 slice of banana or pineapple
– 1/2 cup of greek yogurt
Ice (optional, if not using frozen fruit)
Preparation
- Blend almond milk and spinach
- Continue to blend until no large pieces remain.(This ensures a smooth, non-gritty texture
– Add frozen fruit, yogurt to the mixture
- Blend on high speed until completely smooth
-Add ice cubes and serve.
As part of the Easter celebration, the nutrition page took readers through the preparation of palmnut soup last week.
In this edition, The Spectator will share with readers how palm nut soup is used to prepare Aprapransa.
Ingredients
-Cornmeal
-Leftover palm nut soup
-Cooked beans and crabs for garnishing
Preparation
-Heat the leftover palm nut soup on fire until hot
-Scoop some into another saucepan on fire and gradually add your cornmeal whilst stirring and kneading
-Keep adding cornmeal until quantity of Aprapransa needed
-Continue to knead until smooth texture is achieved. (Add more soup if Aprapransa is too thick and heavy).
-Add some kidney beans and crabs and stir
-Scoop Aprapransa into a bowl. (Garnish with crabs and kidney beans. You may also scoop some soup to the side and serve.)
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
