World Food Day: WOMEC Calls on Government to Prioritize Nutrition in National Budgets and Policies

As Ghana joins the global community to mark World Food Day under the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future,” the Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) has urged government and policymakers to make nutrition a central pillar of national budgets and development policies.

In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Dr. Charity Binkah, WOMEC emphasized that food and nutrition security are fundamental human rights and must be treated as such in Ghana’s health and economic agenda.

“Food is not a privilege, it is a fundamental human right,” the statement read. “Yet millions of households in Ghana continue to face food insecurity, poor nutrition, and rising prices due to climate change, economic inequality, conflict, and weak agricultural systems.”

Dr. Binkah noted that despite women constituting more than 50% of Ghana’s agricultural labour force, many still lack access to critical resources such as land, water, credit, and technology. She stressed that such inequalities undermine both national development and the health of families across the country.

Citing the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), WOMEC highlighted alarming malnutrition statistics, 6.7% of children under five suffer from wasting (low weight for height), 10.6% are underweight and 63% of children and 42% of women of reproductive age are anemic, while overweight and obesity are rising, especially among women in urban areas.

“These figures reveal that malnutrition remains a serious public health and economic issue, costing Ghana an estimated 6.4% of its annual GDP through reduced productivity,” Dr. Binkah warned.

She called for renewed commitment to promoting locally grown, nutrient-rich foods such as millet, sorghum, cowpeas, kontomire, garden eggs, and other indigenous produce to improve diets and strengthen local food systems.

Under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project, WOMEC outlined several key priorities, Stronger leadership and investment in nutrition at all levels of governance, Policy actions that promote sustainable, local food systems and Greater media advocacy and public awareness to ensure accountability and drive behaviour change.

WOMEC further appealed to the Government and policymakers to prioritize nutrition in national budgets and strengthen social protection programs using locally sourced foods, Development partners to invest in Ghana-led nutrition initiatives and research, Civil society and NGOs to push for accountability in nutrition spending.

The Organisation also called for Health professionals to promote nutrition education using local foods, media practitioners to spotlight malnutrition and food security issues, farmers to embrace climate-smart practices and grow diverse, nutritious crops, Schools to serve healthy, locally sourced meals and the public to choose nutritious local foods and reduce waste.

“Together, we can build a Ghana where every meal nourishes, every farmer thrives, and every citizen enjoys the right to good food,” Dr. Binkah affirmed.