Kufuor Foundation Launches Ghana Zero Hunger Strategic Review

The John A. Kufuor Foundation in collaboration with the Government of Ghana and the World Food Programme (WFP), has launched the Ghana Zero Hunger Strategic Review which aims at identifying the challenges the country faces in improving food security and nutrition in its quest to achieve Zero Hunger, Sustainable Development Goal 2. WFP requested for the Review as part of a new strategic plan to support national development agenda.

The Strategic Review is an independent, impartial, analytical and consultative exercise which will provide a comprehensive understanding of the context, identify key challenges the country faces in achieving Zero Hunger and propose actionable areas where stakeholders, including WFP, can improve support to Ghana in the quest to achieve Zero Hunger.

According to the lead convenor of the Review, former president H. E. John Agyekum Kufuor, the cumulative effects of hunger and malnutrition on the country are significant and need to be addressed. He highlighted the findings from the Cost of Hunger study on Ghana which showed that in 2012 alone, malnutrition cost Ghana 6.4 percent of its GDP which was equivalent to GHC4.6 million or USD2.4 million in that year. The results of not addressing nutrition include “decreased educational outcomes, increased health burden and loss to productivity.” 

Mr. William Quaittoo, member of Parliament for Akim Oda, who represented the Minister for Food and Agriculture, explained the Government’s commitment towards achieving zero hunger through the campaign “Planting for Food and Jobs” which would soon be launched. He revealed that government had plans to distribute seeds and fertilizer to farmers in deprived areas of the country.

The UN Ghana Resident Coordinator, Christine Evans-Klock, urged global leaders to ensure that children have sufficient and nutritious food all year round.

“We need bold and constructive partnerships between government, the private sector, academia and other organisations, to create the momentum needed to achieve Zero Hunger, and that begins with building synergies during this strategic review,” said Magdalena Owusu Moshi, Acting WFP Country Director in Ghana.

“The idea is not just to fight hunger, but also to ensure that the food we eat is nutritious enough to give us the necessary nutrients to develop in a proper way,” said Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation.

He explained that the report would help the government and donor partners to formulate policies that would ensure that Ghana’s food production is linked to improved nutrition.

The Review has an advisory board and technical team comprising representatives from the Office of the President, Ministries of Food and Agriculture, Health, Education, Trade and Industry, Local Government and Rural Development, the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO). Other participating agencies include the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, World Health Organisation (WHO) and other UN agencies, African Development Bank, USAID, Ghana Nutrition Association, Hunger Alliance, Alliance for Green Revolution, and Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa.