Nutrition
The Right to Nutrition: Turning Ghana’s policy commitments into real access for vulnerable families
Ghana has made strong commitments to protecting the health and wellbeing of its citizens. The Constitution affirms the state’s responsibility to safeguard public health, and the country has endorsed international agreements recognizing the right to adequate food and nutrition.
National policies also acknowledge malnutrition as a major challenge and outline interventions designed to address it. Yet for many vulnerable families, the reality remains very different. An estimated 68,517 children with severe acute malnutrition face a mortality risk nine times higher than that of well-nourished children, while only 15 per cent receive the treatment their government has approved as essential medicine. The gap between rights on paper and access in practice defines the challenge facing vulnerable families.
When rights are effectively implemented, systems exist to ensure access regardless of income or location. Ghana’s immunisation program is a good example. Children receive vaccines through routine services across the country because financing mechanisms guarantee supply and remove cost barriers. Similarly, many pregnant women
access antenatal services through the National Health Insurance Scheme. Nutrition interventions, however, do not yet benefit from the same level of system support.
For a mother in a rural community whose child develops severe malnutrition, the availability of treatment often depends on factors beyond her control. Does a donor-supported program operate in her district? Are supplies currently available at the health facility, or have funding gaps caused stockouts? Even though national policy recognises the treatment, the health system may not consistently provide it.
The same challenge affects maternal nutrition. Multiple Micronutrient Supplements are recognised in policy and supported by convincing evidence. Studies show they can reduce low birth weight and preterm birth while addressing a broader range of micronutrient deficiencies. Yet pilot programs currently reach only a small proportion of pregnant women nationwide.
When access depends on project locations rather than national systems, inequities deepen. Wealthier households may find ways to obtain supplements or travel to better-resourced facilities. Poor families, particularly in rural areas, rely entirely on public services. When those services operate on a limited scale, poverty becomes a determining factor in who receives care.
Closing this gap requires strengthening the mechanisms that translate policy commitments into real services. Integrating nutrition interventions such as RUTF and Multiple Micronutrient Supplements into the National Health Insurance Scheme could provide that mechanism. With a large share of mothers and children already enrolled, NHIS offers an existing platform capable of expanding access nationwide.
This is fundamentally a question of equity and justice. Ghana has demonstrated the capacity to deliver universal coverage for some health interventions. The right to vaccination does not depend on household income because financing systems ensure supply and remove cost barriers. The right to antenatal consultation is similarly protected through NHIS. There is no technical or ethical justification for treating nutrition rights differently. If severe malnutrition treatment and comprehensive maternal supplementation are essential for health, they deserve the same financing commitment as other essential services.
Rights become meaningful when they guarantee access. Ensuring that every child and every pregnant woman can obtain proven nutrition interventions is not only a health priority, but also a step toward making Ghana’s policy commitments a reality.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
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-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
