Editorial
Take immediate action to end malnutrition
a development crisis and a public concern that requires immediate attention.
This is because hunger affects birth outcomes, maternal health, and child survival given that deficits in particular micronutrients pose a serious health burden and play a major role in childhood morbidity and death,
It is unfortunate that regional inequities and inadequate government funding for nutrition programmes still persist, despite continuous efforts to address the issue of malnutrition.
According to recent statistics from the 2022 Ghana Demographic Health Survey (GDHS) 18 percent of children under five are stunted, six percent are wasted, and 12 percent are underweight. Nearly half of these children also suffer from anaemia.
The statistics show that we must act immediately to prevent jeopardising the productivity and well-being of future generations.
These figures were revealed at a stakeholder engagement on malnutrition in Ghana which was organised by the Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) committed to empowering women and advancing gender equality in partnership with the Coalition of Public Health Actors (CAPHA).
The event served as the formal inauguration of the “Nourish Ghana; Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition Project,” one of WOMEC’s main advocacy efforts. The project’s goal is to increase public awareness of Ghana’s urgent malnutrition problem and its effects on development and health.
It established a forum for discussion aimed at bolstering national policy action on nutrition by promoting greater leadership, funding, and accountability, and particularly incorporating the media in the conversation.
In her statement, Mrs. Charity Binka, the executive director of WOMEC, stated that malnutrition costs Ghana roughly 6.4 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually and that, despite pledges, they are insufficient because the country continues to struggle with malnutrition.
With an emphasis on improving outcomes for women and children, WOMEC hopes the Nourish Ghana Project will address the ongoing problem of malnutrition and promote greater leadership, dedication, creativity, and investment in nutrition programmes.
It is also anticipated that the project will collaborate with lawmakers, policymakers, civil society organisations (CSOs), the media, and local stakeholders to promote long-lasting policy changes and boost funding for nutrition programmes through strategic advocacy, public awareness, and multi-sectoral engagement.
Dear Sir,
I wish to use this platform to congratulate all farmers in Ghana for their hard work and dedication to duty on the occasion of 2025 Farmers’ Day celebration.
Yesterday, in Ho in the Volta Region, Ghana marked the 41st edition of the celebration instituted by late former president, Jerry John Rawlings. It was marked under an excellent theme “Eat Ghana, Grow Ghana, Secure the future.” The aim was to promote local consumption, food security and the transformation of agriculture into a key driver of the economy.
The message it seeks to send out there is very loud and clear. That, every Ghanaian should strive to consume food produced locally. The work of our gallant farmers would amount to nothing if Ghanaians fail to consume what they toil morning, day and night to produce.
Farmers in Ghana are one group of people we must continue to celebrate and adore. They work so hard to ensure that food reaches every home in Ghana. And on such occasions, it is important to honour them like its done every year but one thing I wish to bring to the attention of government is that it is important to mechanically support the activities of these farmers and secondly, make the agric sector very attractive for the youth.
The youth have become so fixated on white-collar jobs which are currently non-existing. Government must therefore make the sector attractive enough for the youth to veer into the area.
Maxwell Quarshie,
Swedru
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Dear Editor,
MAY I please use your respected medium to commend the establishment of Parliament television. Through this initiative, many Ghanaians, including my very self, get the chance to follow the activities of the legislative arm of government. We see the processes they go through in passing laws and making amendments.
Recently, I have been following their activities including discussion on the budget read by the Finance Minister, Dr Casiel Ato Forson. I was so happy with the estimates for the roads ministry especially because of the nature of our roads. A lot of our roads connecting the capital to other regions are very bad, making traveling very difficult and quite stressful.
I wish to appeal to the two divides in the house of parliament to bury their political differences to do a good work on the estimates for speedy approvals. That would help the ministry fulfil its financial obligations for contractors to move to site and ensure that our roads get the needed facelifts to make travelling easy and enjoyable.
Kwame Eugene,
Kasoa
