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Poor nutrition leading cause of disease, death
Poor nutrition has become a leading cause of disease and death globally, particularly in low-income countries, with Ghana facing growing challenges in food quality and access.
Professor Anna Lartey, former Director of Nutrition at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in Rome, made this known in a keynote address at the launch of the UG Nkabom Seminar Series, Honours Programme, and Mentorship/Internship Programme in Accra.
“In Ghana, we are not eating well, and our diet has now become a source of disease and death for us,” she said.
The event was held under the theme: ‘Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Agri-Food Revolution in Ghana and Beyond.’
The Nkabom Collaborative is a strategic initiative aimed at transforming Ghana’s agri-food system by empowering youth to take up opportunities in the food and nutrition value chain.
She said globally, about 3.1 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
In Africa, the figure is nearly 1 billion, while in Ghana, about 65 per cent of the adult population cannot afford a nutritious diet.
Prof. Lartey said the FAO recommends consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
“If every Ghanaian is going to eat five fruits and vegetables a day, our production will not match our consumption.
“We produce too few fruits and vegetables. But it’s not surprising that our food is highly carbohydrate,” she noted.
Prof. Lartey explained that food systems include production, processing, retail, consumption, and disposal, and emphasised the importance of a clean food environment to support a healthy lifestyle.
“So if you live in an area where the foods around you are highly processed foods and junk foods, it is most likely to influence the kinds of foods you will choose,” she said.
Furthermore, Prof. Lartey observed that Ghana’s food systems do not produce enough of the right foods.
“If you take your plate and put food on your plate, about half of it should be fruits and vegetables,” she advised.
She then called for coordinated national efforts to address food system challenges and promote food security.
Prof. Richmond Aryeetey, UG Nkabom Collaborative Lead, said the initiative was designed to equip youth to become the next generation of tech-enabled farmers, agrifood product developers, manufacturers, and agritechpreneurs.
“We work on three programme lines – education programmes in agrifood systems to develop human resources to drive change in Ghana’s food systems.
“These include a PhD programme in sustainable food systems as well as lifelong learning opportunities through tailored short courses that have been co-created with agrifood industry partners,” he noted.
Prof. Aryeetey added that the programme also seeks to expand access to nutrition and agrifood systems for young women, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced persons.
The third component is entrepreneurship, aimed at supporting youth farmers and food system innovators with mentorship, business incubation, market access, and seed funding.
Mr Piere Brunache, Secretariat Director of the Nkabom Collaborative, said the programme aims to create 55,000 jobs and establish 3,000 Small and Medium Enterprises in the next 10 years.
He urged the youth to seize the opportunity to build skills for employment and contribute to national development. —GNA
Mrs Patience Antonio, a Child and Family Development Advocate, has called for a national campaign to reduce the growing reliance on breast milk substitutes among nursing mothers in Ghana.
According to Mrs Antonio, scientific evidence shows that breastfeeding improves a child’s emotional stability, boosts intelligence, strengthens the immune system, and provides long-term health benefits. She made these remarks in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week, emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding for a child’s overall development.
She explained that breastfeeding is not just a biological act of feeding but a key emotional and developmental bridge between mother and child. She also highlighted the need for the recommended six-month maternity leave period to ease the pressure on mothers to return to work prematurely.
“Breastfeeding creates intimacy and trust. It assures the baby of love and security, which becomes the foundation for their emotional health,” Mrs Antonio noted, warning that abandoning exclusive breastfeeding could have long-term implications on children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Consequently, she called for a minimum of five months of fully paid maternity leave for Ghanaian mothers to enable effective breastfeeding, bonding, and healthier child development. She also urged workplaces to implement family-friendly policies, including private spaces for breastfeeding, flexible working arrangements for nursing mothers, and stronger support systems for new parents.
Mrs Antonio further encouraged families and society to actively support mothers during breastfeeding, stressing that many women struggle due to lack of assistance at home or the pressure to return to work too soon. She emphasized, “If we want a healthier, emotionally stable generation, then we must make breastfeeding a priority and support mothers to do it without stress.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Spectator
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The Nanvili Community School in the Mion District of the Northern Region is facing severe infrastructural challenges, affecting teaching and learning for pupils in the area.
The school, which serves five surrounding communities with a total of 58 pupils, has deteriorated to the extent that many children have stopped attending classes. Poor classroom conditions and the lack of desks have made teaching and learning difficult. During a visit to the school, the gate-free classrooms were found filled with goat and sheep droppings.
During the rainy season, both teachers and pupils are often cut off from the school due to bad roads and flooding. Teaching activities are frequently suspended for weeks, negatively affecting academic performance.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Dawuni Mutawakil, expressed concern, noting that the situation is worrying since these pupils are expected to compete with their counterparts in urban areas who have access to better facilities. He added that due to limited space, classes have been merged, with pupils from Primary One and Two, Three and Four, and Five and Six sharing the same classrooms.
The Chief of Nanvili, Abu Kassim, also appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations to come to the aid of the community. He emphasized that the current state of the school discourages children from nearby communities from attending.
Both the Chief and Assemblyman have called for urgent intervention to improve infrastructure and provide furniture for the pupils to ensure quality education for children in the Nanvili area.
By Geoffrey Buta, Nanvili, Northern Region
Spectator
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