By Agnes Ansah
Accra, June 30, GNA – Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) and the Eleanor Crook Foundation have partnered the Government to strengthen efforts to combat malnutrition in Ghana.
The collaboration, involving the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), seeks to mobilise support and financing to address severe acute malnutrition, particularly among children.
Speaking at a meeting in Accra, Mr Jerry Sam, Technical Lead at WOMEC, said the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey indicated that 68,517 children under five were affected by Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), while global figures showed that only 15 per cent of affected children received treatment.
He said Severe Acute Malnutrition was treatable and that adequate financing remained critical to expanding access to treatment.
Mr Sam expressed appreciation to the Government, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and the Ghana Health Service for supporting efforts to address malnutrition.
Mr William Moore, Chief Executive Officer of the Eleanor Crook Foundation, said Ghana had the opportunity to lead Africa in eliminating child malnutrition by scaling up proven interventions.
He said the Foundation had ready-to-use therapeutic foods and improved prenatal vitamins to support efforts to address the challenge.
“We’re excited that Ghana is going to be a leader… and one of the first African countries to really eradicate this problem,” Mr Moore said.
He said the Foundation would continue working directly with the Government and local non-governmental organisations, including WOMEC, to advance child survival interventions.
Mr Richard Tweneboah-Kodua, Director of Research at the National Development Planning Commission, said nutrition was not merely a health issue but a national development imperative.
He said malnutrition affected educational attainment, productivity, economic growth and the overall well-being of the population, adding that nutrition remained a cross-cutting priority within Ghana’s development planning framework.
“Through the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (2026–2029), we are very committed to promoting integrated approaches that address the multidimensional development challenges facing the country, including nutrition,” he said.
Dr Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare, Member of Parliament for Daffiama/Bussie/Issa and Vice Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to supporting initiatives that strengthened nutrition governance, improved resource allocation and enhanced oversight of programmes aimed at reducing malnutrition and improving maternal and child health outcomes.
Dr Sandaare, who also chairs the Immunisation Caucus of Parliament, said Members of Parliament recognised that nutrition was not merely a health issue but a national development concern.
He said the quality of nutrition received by mothers and children directly influenced educational attainment, workforce productivity, economic growth and the overall well-being of the nation.
Dr Sandaare said although Ghana had made considerable progress in improving health outcomes, malnutrition continued to affect many communities, particularly vulnerable women and children.
He said addressing the challenge required sustained political commitment, adequate financing, effective policy implementation and strong accountability mechanisms.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter:Agnes Ansah