Nutrition
Stronger leadership, better nutrition – Why Ghana needs a National Nutrition Council
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Ghana has no shortage of policies on nutrition. From commitments to global platforms like the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit to local programmes targeting maternal and child health, the frameworks exist. And yet, the numbers tell us we are still lagging behind.
According to the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) 2022, one in five children is chronically malnourished and nearly half of women of reproductive age suffer from anaemia. These are not mere statistics; they are reflections of families struggling, children missing their potential, and a nation paying the price in lost productivity.
So, what is the problem? Coordination.
Nutrition is not the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Health (MoH). It is linked to agriculture through the food we grow, to education through the meals children eat in school, and to social protection through the safety nets that shield vulnerable households. But too often, these sectors work in silos, with overlapping projects and fragmented budgets. The result is duplication of efforts, inefficiency, and reduced impact.
This is why Ghana urgently needs a National Nutrition Council. Not another layer of bureaucracy, but a high-level body reporting directly to the Presidency, with the mandate to align efforts across ministries, secure dedicated financing, and drive accountability.
Other countries have shown the power of such structures. Rwanda established a national nutrition coordination mechanism under the Office of the Prime Minister, and within a decade, it achieved one of the fastest reductions in stunting in Africa. Ethiopia’s Food and Nutrition Council has also provided the political leadership needed to keep nutrition at the centre of national planning.
Ghana can and must follow suit. A National Nutrition Council will mean that nutrition is no longer buried in the fine print of health sector budgets but elevated to the level of national development strategy. It will mean that Parliament can hold a single accountable body to answer for progress, and civil society can monitor with clarity.
The time has come to stop managing nutrition as an afterthought. A council will give Ghana the leadership structure to match its ambitions. Without it, our pledges, no matter how bold, risk fading into the background noise of unfinished business.
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
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Ingredients
-Cocoyam leaves (Nkontomire)
-Palm oil
-Ripped Plantain
-2 Large smoked salmon
-1 cowhide (wele)
-1 cup of Egusi
– Momoni
-3 fresh eggs
-2 large onions
-2 large tomatoes
-Pepper
-Ginger
-Garlic
Method
-Wash cocoyam leaves thoroughly under running water
-Cut cocoyam leaves into stripes and wash for the second time
-Blend tomatoes, onion, pepper, ginger, and garlic together
-Put sauce pan on fire and heat palm oil
-Add blended ingredients and allow to cook for about 5 minutes
– Wash salmon, wele and cut into cubes and add to stew
-Add salt
-Add eggs to egusi in a bowl to form paste and add it to stew
-Add to stew and allow to simmer for seven minutes
-Add cocoyam leaves to stew and allow it to cook for sometime
-Wash, peel plantain and cut into shapes
-Cook for some time (Pour water out and serve with stew)
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Every year, Ghana produces thousands of tonnes of nutritious food but a significant share of it never reaches a plate. Fruit spoils before it’s sold. Vegetables rot in transit. Grains are ruined by poor storage. Conversations about nutrition often focus on growing more food but reducing what’s lost or wasted after harvest may be one of the fastest ways to improve food security and nutrition, without farming a single extra acre.
The cost of losing nutritious food
Fresh fruit and vegetables spoil the fastest, and without adequate storage, cooling, or transport, farmers are often forced to sell at rock-bottom prices or watch their harvest go to waste. That squeezes farmers’ incomes and shrinks the supply of nutritious food reaching local markets. As supply falls, prices rise, pushing healthy food further out of reach for the low-income households that need it most.
Nutrition begins beyond the farm gate
Cutting post-harvest losses means more nutritious food reaches families without needing more farmland or higher yields. When tomatoes, mangoes, and leafy greens are preserved through better storage, drying, or processing, they stay available and affordable for longer. Better handling also protects nutritional quality itself, so the vitamins and minerals in food aren’t lost before it ever reaches a consumer.
Supporting farmers supports nutrition
Many farmers still lack access to storage facilities, cold chains, processing equipment, and reliable transport. Strengthening these systems is a win on both ends: farmers earn more from what they grow, and households gain more affordable access to nutritious food. Local processing, such as turning surplus fruit into juices, dried fruit, or purees, can extend shelf life and cut waste even further.
What needs to change?
Reducing food loss takes coordinated action:
• Government: invest in rural roads, storage infrastructure, irrigation, and agricultural extension services.
• Private sector: expand cold storage, food processing, and distribution networks.
• Research institutions: keep developing better post-harvest preservation technology.
• Consumers: plan meals, store food properly, and make safe use of leftovers.
Looking ahead
As Ghana works to tackle malnutrition in all its forms, cutting food loss deserves a place at the top of the agenda. Growing more food matters, but making sure the food already grown actually reaches families, safely and affordably, matters just as much.
Every basket of tomatoes saved, every crate of mangoes preserved, and every bag of grain protected from spoilage adds up to better nutrition, stronger livelihoods, and a more resilient food system for the future.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
