The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) on Thursday, 4th December 2025, convened the fourth quarter meeting of the Food Systems and Nutrition Security Cross-Sectoral Planning Group (FSNS-CSPG) in Accra.
Participants from government institutions, development partners, civil society groups, and research organisations took part in the discussions, which focused on updates to Ghana’s Nutrition for Growth commitments and Food Systems Pathways, a review of sectoral progress, and emerging initiatives to strengthen youth engagement in food systems.
Delivering the welcome remarks on behalf of the Director-General, Mr. Richard Tweneboah-Kodua, Director of Research at NDPC, underscored the significance of the meeting as an opportunity to take stock of gains made and challenges that remain.
He noted that Ghana had advanced several important initiatives during the year, including stronger policy integration and the refinement of national pathways for food systems transformation. These efforts, he said, reflect a shared commitment to ensuring healthy diets and sustainable livelihoods for all citizens.
Mr. Tweneboah-Kodua expressed appreciation to the various institutions represented, highlighting that sustained collaboration is essential for meaningful progress. He added that the insights and decisions emerging from the meeting would help lay a more solid foundation for 2026, reinforcing Ghana’s resolve to build food systems that are nutrition-sensitive, youth-inclusive, and resilient to emerging risks.
Contributing to the discussions, Mr. Nii-Odoi Odotei, Principal Analyst at NDPC, drew attention to the increasing global prominence of food systems and nutrition as central development concerns. He referenced commitments affirmed at the World Summit for Social Development in Doha and recent climate action engagements in Brazil.
He observed that although Ghana has seen inflation fall significantly—from 24 percent at the start of the year to 6.3 percent, with food inflation at 6.6 percent, the lowest in almost ten years—the cost of nutritious food remains a serious challenge. Vegetables and animal-source foods, he noted, are still priced beyond the reach of many households, and findings from the 2024 Cost of Hunger Study indicate that more than half of households cannot afford a healthy diet.
Mr. Odotei stressed that while hunger levels are declining, the inability of many families to consume balanced, nutritious meals demands urgent attention. He called for stronger links between social protection programmes and food systems policies to ensure children receive not only sufficient food but food that nourishes.
He concluded that increased investment and innovation are required to secure long-term nutrition outcomes, especially for Ghana’s youth.
As the final convening for 2025, the session offered a reflective and forward-looking platform for stakeholders to review achievements, exchange lessons, and outline priorities for the coming year—affirming a collective commitment to building resilient, inclusive, and nutrition-responsive food systems for Ghana.