The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has supported Ghana’s participation in the United Nations Food Systems Summit through the Member State Dialogue.
The UNFSS offered a platform for stakeholders to discuss how to transform food systems and deliver on the SDGs in participating countries.
With support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ghana, Malawi and Rwanda were selected to participate in this project to support the government-led 2021 UN Food Systems Summit Dialogues; and to identify priority, concrete, integrated actions and policies required for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The project tested a process of future Food Systems Dialogue in participating countries and was complemented by the work of other collaborators in the Food Systems Transformative Integrated Policy Initiative (FS-TIP) that generated food systems analysis and diagnostics to inform the member-states’ dialogues and cross-sectoral policy decisions.
Chief Director of the Food and Agriculture Ministry, Patrick Robert Ankobiah, speaking at a forum to validate the Ghana FSS report said the dialogue’s outcome has been raising of awareness, elevation of public discussions on the country’s food systems and, more importantly, the development of principles that will guide government and other stakeholders on how to reform food systems to achieve the SDGs.
He said the world food systems, including that of Ghana, are at a crossroads – as existing systems are struggling to provide adequate food to feed millions of people, which has resulted in widespread hunger in many countries.
Mr. Ankobiah added that the food and nutrition security situation in sub-Saharan Africa is dire, with potentially serious consequences for public health and sustainable development.
“It is in this vein that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is grateful to AGRA – whose mission is to catalyse an agricultural transformation in Africa – for supporting this initiative in Ghana,” he said.
Prof. Amos Laar, Convener for the Food Systems Summit in Ghana, lamented what he said is the failing food systems in the country.
Raising concern over malnutrition and describing Ghana’s Food Systems as unhealthy, unsustainable and not equitable, he said it is time action is taken to address the challenges.
AGRA Policy Analyst, Abdoulaye Djido, stressed the importance of food systems while noting that it is crucial for issues that pop-up to be addressed.
“Food Systems are the basis of policies and there must be general orientation to make them the responsibility of everyone in a Ghana…I am inclined to recognise that some issues which arose today must be included and addressed, as a way forward by the consultants for finalisation of the report on the Ghana Food Systems Country Dialogue.”
