Battle against malnutrition needs political will – MP
Mr Kwabena Appiah Pinkrah, Member of Parliament for Akrofuom, has noted that without the necessary political will, the battle against malnutrition would be lost.
He said Ghana is gradually failing since 23 per cent of children under five are suffering from stunted growth, describing it “as a vast human tragedy. “
Mr Pinkrah made the observation at the first Civil Society Forum on Scaling up Nutrition in Accra, on the theme: “Nutrition for growth: Examining Ghana’s Preparations.”
“Ghana is now rated as one of the few Sub-Saharan African countries that have remained on track towards attainment of Millennium Development Goal One,” he noted.
Mr Pinkrah, who is also the Co-Chair of Ghana Parliamentarians Against Hunger and Malnutrition, explained that the ultimate goal of the Caucus is to help Ghana attain a hunger-free and well nourished society where the nation’s food security is assured and a productive society for its citizens is guaranteed.
He said: “To create a high profile for hunger and right to food issues in national development agenda, the right to food should be a state policy backed by the appropriate legislations; societies must be informed of its relevance and encourage supporting its implementation.”
He said one of the goals for the Caucus is to educate Members of Parliament about the serious consequences of hunger and malnutrition and give it a primary focus so that nutrition issues would be central to debates and dialogue at the highest of governance.
Mr Pinkrah said: “Today political leaders are becoming more conscious of the responsibility to eliminate under nutrition from this planet at the global level.”
Nana Ayim Poakwa, Coordinator of Ghana Civil Society Organisations Coalition for Scaling Up Nutrition, said high malnutrition rates are closely linked to food insecurity, household poverty levels, the diseases burden of malaria, and poor infant and young feeding practices.
“As an Early Riser Country for Scaling Up Nutrition, Ghana is expected to aggressively pursue new initiatives, break new ground and mobilise public support for action scale up nutrition,” he said.
Source: GNA