Strengthening capacities for nutrition-sensitive food systems through a multi-stakeholder approach
Ghanaian SMEs explore ways to upscale the capacity development activities developed under the Fao Nutrition-Sensitive Food Systems project in three countries including Ghana and expand their reach.
In order to ensure food systems contribute to healthy diets and better nutrition, it is necessary to strengthen the knowledge base and capacities of key stakeholders to mainstream nutrition in their policies and investments, in particular national government authorities and local private sector entities including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which can play an essential role in making healthy food accessible to and affordable for large numbers of consumers.
SMEs make up the bulk of the business environment in Ghana and play an important role in the country’s economic development and the generation of job and income opportunities. In particular, SMEs working in the agri-food sector in Ghana have made enormous progress and great contributions to national food security and poverty reduction. However, Ghanaian SMEs still face several challenges to their business development which, in turn, reduce their potential to contribute to economic development, and social stability, and to make investments that contribute to creating healthy and nutritious food available to large numbers of consumers. The challenges faced include, but are not limited to, financial barriers, lack of infrastructure, limited knowledge and skills for business development, reduced access to new technologies, and weak enabling environments for nutrition-sensitive investments.
In light of these, over the past five years, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan has implemented the project “Strengthening capacities for nutrition-sensitive food systems through multi-stakeholder approach”. The project aims to develop the capacities of relevant academic institutions and small and medium enterprises in Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam, in order to promote and adopt nutrition-sensitive approaches that contribute to making food systems conducive to healthy diets.
In his welcome remarks, Mr Gueye Ndiaga, FAO Representative to Ghana, highlighted that “Nutrition-Sensitive Food Systems is the anchor for achieving various global and regional food and nutrition security initiatives and policies including the SDG 2 by 2030 and the Malabo Declaration III (i.e., Commitment to ending Hunger in Africa by 2025), hence Nutrition-Sensitive Food Systems being central in the discussion of many countries including Ghana”.
In Ghana, FAO in collaboration with key partners including The Women in Agriculture Development Directorate (MoFA-WIAD), The University of Ghana (UoG), The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), The Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) and the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), have successfully enhanced the capacities of selected agrifood SMEs to introduce nutrition-sensitive food systems into their business models through a coaching and mentorship programme. A three-credit-hours graduate-level course “CBAS 600/700: Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems” has also been designed by the University of Ghana with the aim of improving nutrition and health outcomes via the food value chain.
As the final stage of the project’s implementation in Ghana, a national workshop was held in Accra bringing together sixty (60) participants from SMEs, government partners, academia, international organizations, as well as representatives from the other countries involved in the project to discussed project’s achievements with participants on ways to improve the policy environment in support of SMEs and facilitate the adoption of nutrition-sensitive approaches in the agrifood sector.
The participants have had the opportunity to explore ways to upscale the capacity development activities developed under the project and expand their reach.