Nutrition
Ga kenkey
Ga kenkey
Ga kenkey is a popular carbohydrate food in Ghana.It is mostly served with pepper sauce, (shito) and fried fish or tilapia.
Ingredients
-6 Cups of fermented corn dough
-1 Tablespoonful of salt
-3 Cups of water
-Corn husks
-4-5 Cups water (to cook the kenkey)
Preparation
-Carefully peel the husk from the fresh corn and leave it for 24 hours to dry a bit.
-After 24 hours, wash the husk very well and soak in hot water for five minutes.
-Take them out and set on the side.
-Take fermented corn dough and divide it into three equal parts to make it two cups each.
-Take one part which is two cups of the fermented corn dough and place it in a pot.
-Add three cups of water, a tablespoonful of salt and mix well.
-Place the pot on a medium heat and cook until the dough is halfway cooked. Use a wooden spatula to stir and press against the pot as it cooks and thicken.
-Once the dough is halfway cooked, take it off the heat and add the rest of the uncooked fermented dough (which is four cups). Mix very well until everything is mixed.
-Take the corn husk and scoop the mixture onto the husk. Mould the dough with extra husk until the dough is fully covered.
-Hold the bottom of the husk and twist tight. Then find a spot where you can stick the twisted bottom inside the dough. Cover the gap by pulling the husk back in place.
-In a large pot, line the pot with corn husk and place the now wrapped corn dough in the pot.
-Add four to five cups of hot water and cover with more corn husks. Cover with a lid and cook for three to four hours.
-Make sure to check often and add more hot water as needed. About 30 minutes to an hour. Do not add cold water, always add hot water instead. Adding cold water will slow down the cooking time.
After four hours turn the heat off and enjoy with fried fish, ‘shito’ and red pepper sauce on the side.
Source: thefoodihouse.com
Benefits of corn
-Aids digestion and gut health.
-Helps improve good eyesight
-Provides nutrients and vitamins
-Moderately affects blood sugar
-Offers a healthy gluten-free option
In March 2025, world leaders gathered in Paris for the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, the most important global gathering on malnutrition of the decade. Over $30 billion in new financial commitments were pledged globally by more than 170 actors from 82 countries. Ghana was there. Ghana made commitments. The question now is: are those commitments enough, and will they be delivered?
Ghana made 10 commitments at the 2025 N4G Summit. One of the most significant is a pledge to spend at least $6 million annually from 2026 for the procurement of essential nutrition commodities including ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), iron-folic acid tablets, vitamin A supplements, and anthropometric equipment for measuring child growth.
This financial commitment is meaningful. For years, Ghana’s nutrition programmes have depended heavily on donor funding, leaving services vulnerable to aid cuts and supply disruptions. A domestic budget line for nutrition commodities signals a shift toward ownership and sustainability. It also directly supports Ghana’s Nutrition for Growth commitments from the 2021 Tokyo Summit, several of which remain off track.
The Bigger Picture
The 2025 N4G Summit was about more than funding. It called for systemic change: embedding nutrition in food systems, health coverage, climate resilience, and gender equality. Every dollar invested in nutrition is estimated to return $16 to the local economy. Yet malnutrition still costs Ghana an estimated 6.4 per cent of its GDP annually. That is not a public health statistic. It is an economic emergency.
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has acknowledged that converting summit outcomes into actionable change requires transparent policy dialogue and locally driven solutions.
Commitments made in Paris must be tracked, funded, and implemented in Ghana’s communities. Programmes must move from pilot scale to national coverage. That will not happen without sustained political will, dedicated domestic financing, and public accountability.
Commitments made on global stages matter. But they only become meaningful when they translate into services in communities. The question is not what Ghana promised in Paris. It is what Ghana delivers at home.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
Cabbage is very rich in fibre, the main supplier of roughage. This helps the body retain water and it maintains the bulkiness of the food as it moves through the bowels.
Thus, it is a good remedy for constipation and other digestion-related problems.
Ingredients
-1 large cabbage
– 4 large fresh tomatoes
– 1 large onion
– Pepper
-Garlic
-2 large salmon
-1 tin of mackerel
-2 large green pepper
-Salt to taste
Preparation
-Chop cabbage roughly and wash in a large pot of water
-Pour vinegar on it and wait until you make other preparations. Then drain.
-Heat coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat
-Cook and stir onion in hot oil until onion turns dark brown.
-Blend tomatoes, green pepper, garlic and onion and add to the oil
-Add tomato paste, mackerel and salmon to stew
-Add cabbage, stir and cover to cook for 7 – 10 minutes
-Allow to simmer when it is soft and serve with rice, yam etc.
