Nutrition
Nutrition is more than health —A cross-sectoral policy priority
When a child is born underweight in Ghana, the Ministry of Health takes the blame. When a schoolchild struggles to learn because of hunger, the education sector is blamed. When families cannot afford diverse foods, it is seen as a problem for agriculture. But in truth, these are not separate problems, they are pieces of the same puzzle.
Nutrition is not just about hospitals and clinics. It is about farms, schools, social protection, and governance. Yet Ghana continues to treat it as a health-sector issue. The result is fragmented interventions, duplicated efforts, and policies that never add up to real change.
Take agriculture, for example. Too often, the focus is on increasing yields of cash crops rather than improving the diversity of foods available to families. Education? School feeding programmes fill stomachs but often fail to nourish minds because the meals lack essential nutrients. Social protection? Cash transfers help households survive but don’t always ensure children eat balanced meals.
This is why Ghana must adopt a cross-sectoral approach to nutrition policy. Nutrition targets should be integrated into the performance indicators of every ministry; from agriculture to education to finance. A school feeding programme should not be judged only by how many children are fed, but by whether those meals improve nutrition outcomes. Agricultural policies should measure success not just in tonnes of maize, but in whether families can access affordable vegetables, beans, and protein.
Coordinating this requires leadership from the very top. A National Nutrition Council under the presidency could drive this integration, ensuring that all sectors pull in the same direction and are accountable for results.
The reality is simple: no ministry can fix malnutrition alone. But together, through cross-sectoral policies that recognise nutrition as the foundation of development, Ghana can finally break the cycle.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition Project in collaboration with Eleanor Crook Foundation
Reliable data is the foundation of effective health systems. Governments need accurate information to track progress, identify gaps, and ensure that services reach the people who need them most. In Ghana, however, data on nutrition services often remains fragmented.
For example, it is possible to estimate how many children received Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) treatment in some districts during the past quarter. But these numbers often come from separate reporting systems maintained by different implementing partners.
Each project may collect and report data in its own format. When donor-funded programmes end, the systems used to track service delivery may also disappear. As a result, national health planners cannot always see a complete, real-time picture of nutrition service coverage across the country.
This challenge is common in areas where services depend heavily on project-based funding. When nutrition interventions operate primarily through donor programmes, coverage data often comes from periodic surveys or partner reports rather than routine health system data.
Comparing outcomes across facilities or districts requires compiling information from multiple sources, which can be time-consuming and sometimes inconsistent. The result is that decision-makers may be working with incomplete or outdated information when planning nutrition services.
Integrating nutrition interventions into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) could help change this. When services such as RUTF treatment for severe acute malnutrition and Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for pregnant women become part of the NHIS benefits package, their delivery would automatically generate data through existing national health information systems.
Each child receiving RUTF would generate a reimbursement claim recorded within NHIS systems. Each pregnant woman receiving MMS during antenatal care would leave a record linked to her NHIS enrollment.
In practical terms, this means nutrition coverage could be tracked continuously rather than estimated periodically. If facilities in districts with known malnutrition burdens are not submitting claims for RUTF, the gap becomes visible much sooner.
If recovery rates at specific facilities fall below expected standards, health managers can investigate and provide support. If supply chains break down, the absence of claims may signal a problem before it becomes widespread.
Data integration also strengthens accountability. NHIS reimbursement systems require documentation that services were delivered. Facilities must maintain records to support their claims, and routine audits help verify the accuracy of reporting.
These processes reduce the risk of inflated numbers or reporting errors that sometimes occur in fragmented project systems. At the same time, integrated data systems create opportunities for better learning and programme improvement.
When nutrition services are captured within broader health system data, analysts can begin to answer important questions. For example, do children who complete RUTF treatment experience better growth outcomes later? Do pregnant women who receive MMS have fewer complications during delivery?
These kinds of insights become easier to generate when nutrition services are fully embedded within national health information systems.
Integrated data also strengthens public accountability. When nutrition interventions operate through NHIS, policymakers and parliamentarians can review their performance through the same dashboards used to monitor other health services.
Coverage rates, budget use, and service quality become visible through a single national system rather than scattered across multiple donor reports.
Ultimately, improving data systems is about more than administrative efficiency. It reflects a shift in how nutrition is viewed.
When nutrition services depend mainly on external projects, they are often treated as temporary initiatives. When they are integrated into national systems such as NHIS, they become core health services deserving the same attention and monitoring as other essential treatments.
Knowing in real time how many children receive treatment for severe malnutrition or how many pregnant women access comprehensive micronutrient support allows Ghana to move from periodic assessments to continuous accountability.
That is the difference between hoping nutrition programmes are working and knowing whether they are delivering results.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project.
– 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.
