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  • Publication | 2021

Nutrition policy in Ghana

Global Food and Nutrition Security

Key messages

Why was this brief developed?

  • To strengthen understanding of the current direction of nutrition-relevant policy in Ghana and its implications. It was developed in response to partners’ request and priorities.

What are the key findings?

  • Nutrition is featured most prominently in nutrition, health, economic, social, and education policies.
  • Young children, women of reproductive age and adolescents are the most frequently mentioned groups and targeted beneficiaries.
  • Of the six WHA targets and their indicators, policies’ content focuses most on U5 stunting and exclusive breastfeeding followed by low birth weight, and least on anemia in women of reproductive age and U5 wasting. The National Nutrition Policy adopts all six WHA target values as its own.
  • All policies point to the importance of multisectoral coordination.

What are the policy recommendations?

  • Address gaps and incoherence in nutrition-relevant policies, clearly aligning nutrition targets, objectives, activities and indicators.
  • Prioritize nutrition across policy areas, including WASH, gender, environment, social protection, education, and economic policy.
  • Mainstream nutrition in policies and strategies that are now being drafted to overcome shortcomings identified in current policy documents.
  • Build and sustain strong vertical and horizontal coordination mechanisms to tackle mutually reinforcing issues which call for multistakeholder engagement.