Nutrition
Koose
• Koose
Koose(bean cakes) also known as ‘Akara’ is a traditional meal in Ghana consumed mostly by people from the Northern part of Ghana.
It is one delicacy eaten anytime of the day. But it is mostly eaten withHausa kooko as breakfast.
Every morning, it is common to see lots of buyers from all walks of life in a queue to purchase this delicacy.
Koose is prepared from ground beans or cowpeas.
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Ingredients for koose
- 4 cups of black –eyed beans
- 2 large onions
- 2 tablespoonfuls of powdered pepper
- 3 eggs
- Chopped spring onions (if preferred)
- Cooking oil
- Salt
Preparation
- Pour beans in water and soak for 30minutes
- Pour the water out then put beans in blender. Add enough water to it.
- Don’t fully blend beans. Remove the skin using the blender by pushing the stop or pause button every minute when you start blending. Do that 3-4 times.
- Pour beans into a large bowl and add more water. Rub the beans in your hands to take off the skin.
- Drain the water along with skin on top of beans. Make sure all the skins are removed
- Pour skinless beans in blender, add pepper, onion and salt. Add enough water to blend until smooth.
- Pour blended mixture into bowl, add eggs then hand-whisk for 2-3minutes. This process will make the mixture fluffy.
- Set aside a mixture of egg, chopped spring onions and four teaspoons of blended mixture for garnishing.
- Heat oil under medium heat until hot then scoop in the batter with a spoon. Garnish top with the set aside mixture.
- -Turn koose over when it starts to brown at the bottom. Fry the other side until golden brown.
- Remove it from oil when cooked then put it in a strainer or paper towel to drain oil
- Serve koose with porridge.
Soya beans is a highly nutritious plant-based food with several health benefits:
-Rich source of protein
-Contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
-Helpful for vegetarians and vegans as an alternative to animal protein.
-Supports muscle growth and repair.
– Heart Health
-Helps lower cholesterol levels
-Contains healthy unsaturated fats and fibre that support cardiovascular health
-Can be part of a heart-friendly diet
-Bone health
-Provides calcium (in fortified soy products), magnesium, and protein
-Soy isoflavones may help maintain bone density, especially in postmenopausal women
– May help manage menopausal symptoms
-Contains natural compounds called isoflavones (phytoestrogens)
-Some women experience reduced hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms with soy consumption
-Supports weight management
-High protein and fibre content can increase fullness and reduce hunger
-May help with maintaining a healthy weight
-Good for blood sugar control
-Has a low glycemic index
-Protein and fibre can help stabilise blood sugar levels
Ghana has nutrition policies. Ghana has nutrition targets. Ghana has nutrition programmes spread across multiple ministries and dozens of implementing partners.
What Ghana does not have is a single, empowered body responsible for leading, coordinating, and holding all this together. That is the gap a National Nutrition Council would fill, and stakeholders are calling for one now.
The case for a council
At a stakeholder engagement convened under the Nourish Ghana project in 2025, participants proposed the establishment of a National Nutrition Council to provide effective leadership and a governance framework for addressing malnutrition in Ghana. The meeting, which brought together policymakers, development partners, civil society organisations, and the media, highlighted a fundamental problem: nutrition responsibilities are fragmented across various ministries. Without a dedicated coordination body, efforts are duplicated, accountability is diffuse, and nutrition consistently loses out when budgets are tight.
The proposal echoes a model used in several countries that have made the fastest progress against malnutrition. Nigeria’s National Council on Nutrition, for example, recently pledged $107 million at the 2025 N4G Summit, a level of coordinated ambition that Ghana has struggled to match.
Ghana does have existing coordination structures worth acknowledging. The Scaling Up Nutrition Cross-Sectoral Planning Group (CSPG), established in 2012, was set up to harmonise planning, implementation, and monitoring of nutrition actions across sectors. It has produced real gains. But the challenge has been institutionalising those gains beyond project cycles, and analysts have called for an elevated national coordination body with presidential oversight to ensure genuine cross-sector accountability. A National Nutrition Council would go further, providing the dedicated financing and convening authority that the CSPG, as currently structured, does not have.
What a Council would do
A National Nutrition Council would provide political oversight and coordination across all sectors involved in nutrition, health, agriculture, education, social protection, and finance. It would track Ghana’s nutrition commitments, hold ministries accountable for delivery, and ensure that nutrition budgets are protected and spent effectively. Most importantly, it would give nutrition a permanent seat at the table where national development decisions are made.
The Time Is Now
Ghana made 10 commitments at the 2025 N4G Paris Summit. Translating those commitments into results requires a governance structure that does not currently exist. Establishing a National Nutrition Council is not a bureaucratic exercise. It is the institutional foundation without which Ghana’s nutrition ambitions will remain promises on paper. Leaders must act on this proposal without delay.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
