A new science- policy platform to tackle rising diet-related diseases and malnutrition has been launched with African policymakers, researchers, and development partners with a call for urgent coordinated action to transform the continent’s food systems.
Referred to as the Africa Regional Collaborative for Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH-ARC), the initiative brought together key stakeholders from across Africa, Europe, and north America.
The launch which featured project overview, presentation, and stakeholder dialogue converged on a central message: “Africa must move from fragmented food system responses to integrated, evidence-driven action” in Accra.
A speech delivered on behalf of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr. Eric Opoku described the launch as the beginning of “a deliberate shift toward more coordinated, evidence-driven, and action-oriented food systems transformation across Africa.”
He observed that despite progress in food production, many systems across the continent still feed populations without adequately nourishing them, resulting in persistent malnutrition, and rising diet-related diseases.
The Minister stressed that the complexity of food systems challenges – spanning agriculture, health, trade, and finance, required stronger coordination, noting that past responses had often been fragmented and insufficient.
“Increasing production alone is not sufficient. We must deliberately connect agricultural policies with nutrition outcomes, health systems, and market dynamics to ensure that our food systems deliver better diets and improved wellbeing”, he noted.
The Minister affirmed government’s commitment to initiatives that promote evidence-based policymaking, inclusive food systems, and climate-resilient approaches, describing the ANH-ARC as a timely platform to bridge the gap between research, policy, and implementation.
Presenting the project overview, Professor Amos Laar, Principal Investigator of ANH-ARC, framed the initiative as a decisive response to a long-standing disconnect between research, policy, and implementation.
He noted that, while African countries had made progress in agricultural production, this had not consistently translated into improved nutrition or health outcomes, saying, “Food systems decisions are still too fragmented.”
According to him, agriculture, nutrition, and health could not continue to operate in silos if we are to address the growing burden of diet-related diseases.
Prof. Laar explained that the collaboration would generate and translate policy-relevant evidence to support governments in designing and implementing interventions that improve access to affordable, healthy diets.
Outlining the initiative’s focus on food environments, financing, and governance, he stressed that the ultimate goal was to ensure that evidence leads to real policy change and measurable impact.
In her keynote address, Dr Anna Lartey, Professor of Nutrition, University of Ghana called for a shift in how African countries approach food systems, urging leaders to prioritise nutrition outcomes alongside food production.
She emphasised that increasing food supply alone would not solve malnutrition unless deliberate efforts were made to improve diet quality.
“Africa must ensure that what is produced and consumed nourishes its people,” she said, stressing the need for policies that protect vulnerable groups, particularly children, from unhealthy food environments.
Delivering the second keynote address, Hon. Neema Lugangira, a former Member of Parliament from Tanzania, underscored the importance of political will and accountability in translating commitments into action.
She warned that policy dialogues alone would not deliver change without sustained implementation and monitoring.
“We must move beyond commitments to measurable results,” she said.
She called for inclusive governance systems that involve citizens, especially young people, in shaping food policies.
The event provided a platform for stakeholders to examine practical pathways for implementation.
Participants highlighted persistent challenges such as the high cost of nutritious foods, the rapid expansion of ultra-processed food markets, and weak coordination across sectors.
There were also calls for stronger investment strategies and policy coherence to ensure that food systems transformation efforts are sustainable and scalable.
A stakeholder panel reinforced the need for accountability mechanisms, noting that effective governance would be critical to translating research into real-world outcomes.
The discussions generated clear messages for both Ghana and the wider African region, noting that, nutrition must be central to development planning and not treated as a secondary outcome of agriculture.
Healthy diets must be made affordable and accessible, particularly for low-income populations.
It also observed that, African-led solutions were essential, grounded in local realities and supported by regional collaboration.
Source: GNA
