Let’s support government to confront food, nutrition insecurity head-on

 In our Monday, May 5, 2025 edition, we published a front-page story that should alarm all stakeholders, particularly policy makers, development partners, and institutions committed to the promotion of human welfare.

The information was funda­mentally on food and nutrition insecurity that requires urgent and collective action.

The story that is on March 2025 Food and Nutrition Security Situation in Ghana report, jointly commissioned by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA)’s Statistics, Research and Infor­mation Directorate, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control (PICDC) in the Sahel, reveals a growing threat of food and nutrition insecurity.

The research findings indicate that approximately 2.4 million Ghanaians, representing 7.4 per cent of the population, would face food insecurity between March and May this year.

The causes are attributed to multiple factors, such as severe dry spell across eight regions in Ghana last year, the growing impact of climate change and economic pressures on already vulnerable communities.

In fact, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs places food among the most essential requirements for human survival. Food supports brain development, fuels physical growth, and ensures overall well-being of people. Addi­tionally, without balanced diet, malnutrition and stunted growth, especially among children, be­come inevitable.

It is important to take note that food insecurity does not merely mean outright hunger. It also implies the lack of access to sufficient, safe, and balanced or nutritious food, to meet the dietary needs of people, consis­tently and affordably.

Globally, more than 800 million people grapple with food insecurity daily, and Ghana is no exception.

While the report acknowledges Ghana’s relatively better perfor­mance compared to some of its neighbours except Côte d’Ivoire and Benin, it remains unaccept­able that such a significant por­tion of our population struggles to access food.

The MoFA, WFP and PICDC report must be a wake-up call on the government of Ghana and development partners, to take drastic steps to avert any famine that can aggravate the already ex­isting social problems confronting the people.

Food is not a luxury, rather, it is a basic human and physiological need, which must be accessible and affordable at all times.

It is disheartening that even as some households waste food due to excess, others cannot afford a decent meal a day. This disparity is a scar on our national con­science.

We urge the government to urgently formulate and imple­ment targeted policies, to address any impending food insecurity. If left unaddressed, the situation can spiral into a full-blown hunger crisis.

Fortunately, Ghana has what it takes to reverse this trend, includ­ing fertile arable lands, abundant surface and underground water resources for irrigation, and agri­cultural expertise. What is needed is the political will and a unified national response.

Hopefully, projections suggest that food-insecure numbers can fall to two million, or 6.3 per cent of the population, between June and August this year.

This is attributed to ongoing interventions, signalling that the problem is solvable with sus­tained effort.

The Ghanaian Times supports the report’s call for government to expand resilience-building efforts, to ensure long-term food security.

We also urge greater support for the Feed Ghana Programme and the Aqua-Cage Fish Project, among other initiatives, to boost food and fish production.

We commend the MoFA for its transparency in bringing the issue of food and nutrition insecurity to light.

Stakeholders cannot, and must not politicise efforts aimed at preventing food insecurity. Hun­ger has no political colour, and playing partisan politics with such a critical issue can be a slippery path to tread.

Political actors should not at­tempt to use this serious matter to score points or discredit the facts. Food and nutrition security must be treated as a national priority.

Let us rally together; govern­ment, opposition parties, develop­ment partners, and citizens to tackle the challenge of food and nutrition insecurity, and ensure that no person goes hungry.