Nutrition
Gold fever hits South Africa
A GOLD rush has gripped an informal settlement east of the South African city of Johannesburg, after reports spread a few days ago about the discovery of some gold particles.
A resident in a poor neighbourhood of the former mining town of Springs claimed to have found several nuggets while digging at an outdoor enclosure used for cattle.
Dozens of people have now descended on the area and have been digging up the fenced area where the cows were once penned in, hoping to strike it rich.
Armed with pickaxes and shovels, they have been sifting through the soil in scenes reminiscent of the gold rush that helped build South Africa’s financial capital more than a century ago.
Springs was once a booming gold town, but its mines were closed several years ago because the extreme depth of the shafts made operations uneconomical.
The town is now surrounded by informal settlements many of whose residents are migrants from neighbouring countries.
South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources has condemned this week’s mining activity in Spring’s informal settlement of Gugulethu, calling it illegal and warning that it is damaging the environment.
Some of those digging at the site have told the BBC that they have been able to find gold and have sold it on the black market.
Dangerous chemicals like mercury and sodium cyanide are used to separate the gold from the ore.
A gram of gold is worth about $100 (£74).
By contrast, the monthly minimum wage in South Africa is $368 (£270).
Many of those busy digging during the BBC’s visit said they originally hailed from the neighbouring Lesotho.
At around 14:00 local time after the end of the school day, children started arriving at the site.
Ghana has made important progress in testing effective nutrition interventions. Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) have been piloted in selected health facilities across several districts, reaching thousands of pregnant women.
Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) has been delivered through community programs in high-burden districts, supported by trained health workers. These initiatives demonstrate that proven nutrition interventions can be implemented successfully within Ghana’s health system.
However, pilot projects are designed to test feasibility, not to meet national needs.
Despite their success, current pilots reach only a small fraction of the women and children who require these services. Meanwhile, anemia affects a large proportion of pregnant women, and tens of thousands of children suffer from severe acute malnutrition each year. The gap between pilot coverage and population need highlights the limits of project-based approaches.
Nutrition projects funded through time-bound grants face predictable constraints. Coverage depends on donor priorities rather than national burden. Programs end when funding cycles close, even if needs persist. Financing uncertainty makes long-term planning difficult, and supply chains often remain fragmented instead of being integrated into national systems. Data collection and accountability focus on project requirements rather than strengthening national monitoring.
Most critically, project-based approaches perpetuate inequity. Women and children in pilot districts receive evidence-based interventions while those in non-pilot areas with identical needs receive outdated or no care. Access becomes a matter of geography rather than health policy. This creates a two-tier system where donor program placement, not health policy, determines who receives lifesaving treatment.
Systems-based financing through the National Health Insurance Scheme offers a fundamentally different approach. NHIS integration ensures nationwide coverage based on enrollment rather than project geography. With 84 per cent of mothers with children under five already enrolled, the delivery infrastructure exists.
Financing becomes predictable through established NHIS revenue streams. Supply chains integrate with national pharmaceutical procurement systems. Quality standards and accountability mechanisms operate across all facilities, not just pilot sites.
Transitioning from pilot to scale requires policy decisions that projects alone cannot deliver. RUTF and MMS must be formally included in NHIS benefits and medicines lists. Reimbursement rates must be established to cover procurement and distribution. Budget allocations must be protected within medium-term expenditure frameworks. Supply chains must be strengthened at national level rather than replicated across multiple projects.
Ongoing Health Technology Assessments will deliver crucial evidence about cost-effectiveness to guide future decisions. Available data already suggests that MMS is highly affordable within public-sector financing, while community-based treatment of severe malnutrition reduces reliance on costly hospital care. These interventions are not only effective, but they are also fiscally realistic.
Pilots have served their purpose. Continuing to operate at pilot scale when national implementation is feasible means accepting preventable illness and loss of human potential. Ghana has the policy frameworks, trained workforce, and financing mechanisms required to move forward. What remains is the decision to shift from demonstration to delivery, and to ensure that effective nutrition interventions reach everyone who needs them.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project.
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Cornmeal doughnuts also known as Bamfo bisi or Awiesu is a very delicious Ghanaian snack and street food. The snack is crunchy and can make one full.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of milled corn flour
- 3 tablespoonful of grounded nutmeg
- Half cup of sugar
- 1 litre of oil
- Half cup of roasted groundnut
Preparation
- Pour one cup of the corn flour into a saucepan and mix with water.
- Place the mixture and heat for about 4- 9 minutes until a smooth paste is formed.
- Set mixture aside to cool
- Pour the remaining one cup of flour into a large bowl.
- Add sugar, nutmeg and stir together.
- Scoop and transfer the hot paste into the dry corn flour.
- Roll the dough between your palms to form an oblong shape with clean hands and insert peanuts.
- Pour cooking oil into a pot until well heated.
- Fry the Awiesu until gold
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
