Accra, Sept. 12, GNA – World Vision Ghana has held a national policy dialogue forum to address challenges of food security, child hunger, and malnutrition.
The forum brought together stakeholders in water and sanitation, health, and agriculture to offer perspectives on mitigating issues of climate change and illegal mining, among other concerns.
Speaking at the forum, Mr Maxwell Amedi, the Food Security and Technical Resilience Programmes Manager at World Vision Ghana, emphasised the need for the government to commit resources to achieve food security.
“We need to work collaboratively because we have a critical role to play in ensuring a food-secure environment among the growing population. Issues of food prices going up are very critical, especially for the needy, and the government has to commit resources to the good policies we already have thus regarding food security.
“Stakeholders have to look at ways of empowering the masses, and within this time of political campaign we need to scrutinise the vision of political parties with issues concerning food security,” he said.
Mr Amedi stated that issues of food insecurity had become dire and the government and other development partners had to focus on solving the challenges so that Ghana did not end up importing basic food stuff.
He also stated how galamsey activities had a severe impact on the precipitation water cycle, which has hampered rainfall and food production on farms.
Madam Veronica Quartey, National Director of Micronutrients Deficiency Programme at the Ghana Health Service, highlighted the importance of providing healthy foods to children in order to help them develop physiologically.
She highlighted that the current stunting rate of 17.5% highlights the urgent need for the government to increase financing for nutritional programmes to support the work of development partners.
“Nutrition is the foundation of good health, and the food we eat defines who we are. The destruction of our forests, farmlands, and water bodies due to ‘Galemsey’ is of great concern, especially with the food we eat,” she said.
Madam Quartey stated how ‘Galamsey’ activities could impair the nutritional value of foods and have serious consequences for children’s health.
This dialogue session organised by the World Vision Ghana forms part of their three-year “ENOUGH” campaign aimed at ending child hunger and malnutrition.
GNA