By Edward Williams
Hohoe (V/R), May 31, GNA – The Fred N. Binka School of Public Health of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS-FNBSPH) has launched the Nutrition and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems Collaborative (NKABOM) Project to improve the nutrition of Ghanaians.
It is to address the challenges within the agri-food and nutritional systems.
It is a 10-year transformative project involving seven Ghanaian institutions and McGill University in Canada, being undertaken as part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy.
The aim is to create dignified and sustainable employment for three million young Ghanaians by 2030, with a focus on transforming the agri-food system.
Professor Frank Baiden, Principal Investigator and Dean, UHAS-FNBSPH, said the School was committed to developing three new programmes in its public health portfolio with an emphasis on nutrition and enhancing one existing programme.
He said they would develop a Doctor of Public Health degree programme, a Master of Science in Monitoring and Evaluation, and a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology, all with nutrition orientation.
Prof Baiden said the School would have a new track in its existing Master of Public Health programme, which is Nutrition in Maternal and Child Health.
He said the School would also host the UHAS-McGill Summer School in Hohoe from next year, adding that the School was supported to improve the conditions of teaching and learning through the application of technology.
Prof Baiden said they would use quality-assured online options to increase access to programmes.
‘To this end, the faculty will undergo training in improved pedagogy and the application of technology in teaching and learning’.
He said the School was supported to mainstream entrepreneurship in its curricula to enable future graduates have the ability to start-up businesses and become entrepreneurs.
Prof Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor, John E. Atta-Mills University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), said there was the need for all to be involved in the Project without leaving anyone behind.
She said the expectation of the Project went beyond Hohoe to the rest of the region and the country, adding that the focus on entrepreneurship should spread across the entire University and beyond.
Prof Aziato called for collaborative efforts involving other partner institutions to achieve more.
She commended the partnership with industries to enhance the entrepreneurship component of the project.
Prof Aziato said the management of the University was fully committed to supporting the Project and its Team to ensure its success.
Emeritus Professor Fred N. Binka, Foundation Vice Chancellor, John E. Atta-Mills University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and member of the Team, said stunting as a public health problem needed urgent attention because it affected neurological development as well as increased the risk of developing other conditions.
He said a solution to stunting was to look at the nutrition of mothers while they were pregnant and also at the food children consumed.
Emeritus Prof Binka said in the Volta Region, about 50 percent of pregnant women were anaemic, adding that something should be done about it if stunting is to be eliminated.
He said public education on nutrition should be carried out using more innovative approaches like short videos.
Mr Anthony Morrison, Chief Executive Officer, Chamber of Agribusiness, called for a robust national policy to address nutrition.
Mr Prosper Kumi, Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said there was a need for increased entrepreneurial drive, especially in the agricultural sector within the Municipality.
He said the Municipality will be rolling out various private partnerships in the agricultural sector.
Other institutions in the Project are University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Koforidua Technical University (KTU), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Ghana (UG), Ashesi University and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI).
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Christian Akorlie