Descriptive analysis of changes in Ghana's food availability and food safety information between 2010 and 2020

Access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food is essential to ensure food and nutrition security and healthy lives for all. Secure access to nutritious food ensures healthy eating habits, economic growth, and stability in an economy. However, food insecurity and malnutrition persist globally. In Ghana, more than half of food-insecure people reside in the Northern ecological zones of the country. Moreover, Ghana lacks a systematic food security monitoring system to track food insecurity among vulnerable populations. This study reviewed existing evidence on the current situation and changes related to food production, trade, safety, and consumption in Ghana, as part of the process to develop food-based dietary guidelines for the country. The literature review included peer-reviewed articles published from 2010 – 2020 in Ghana to document household-level food production, consumption, and safety issues. In addition, food disappearance data (from 2010 to 2018) from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was analysed. Means and compound annual growth rates were calculated for each food item included. The results showed that per capita food production was higher than per capita consumption in all the food categories studied, except for vegetables, and fish and fishery products. Food consumption was centred on a few priority staple crops such as cassava, maize, rice, and yams, with less consideration given to underutilised foods such as akokono (palm weevil larvae). Food imports exceeded food exports in all food categories except 1) cocoa beans and products, 2) root crops and tubers, 3) oil-bearing crops and nuts, and 4) fruits and products. Fruit and vegetable consumption in Ghana has been declining since 2013. There was also a rise in the import and consumption of processed foods, especially tomato paste, sugars, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Food safety issues included microbial contamination, aflatoxin contamination, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked fish, mercury in fish, pesticide and heavy metal residues in vegetables and fruits, and food adulteration. The evidence synthesized from this study will be useful to inform the development of food-based dietary guidelines for Ghana

Descriptive analysis of changes in Ghana's food availability and food safety information between 2010 and 2020

Access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food is essential to ensure food and nutrition security and healthy lives for all. Secure access to nutritious food ensures healthy eating habits, economic growth, and stability in an economy. However, food insecurity and malnutrition persist globally. In Ghana, more than half of food-insecure people reside in the Northern ecological zones of the country. Moreover, Ghana lacks a systematic food security monitoring system to track food insecurity among vulnerable populations. This study reviewed existing evidence on the current situation and changes related to food production, trade, safety, and consumption in Ghana, as part of the process to develop food-based dietary guidelines for the country. The literature review included peer-reviewed articles published from 2010 – 2020 in Ghana to document household-level food production, consumption, and safety issues. In addition, food disappearance data (from 2010 to 2018) from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was analysed. Means and compound annual growth rates were calculated for each food item included. The results showed that per capita food production was higher than per capita consumption in all the food categories studied, except for vegetables, and fish and fishery products. Food consumption was centred on a few priority staple crops such as cassava, maize, rice, and yams, with less consideration given to underutilised foods such as akokono (palm weevil larvae). Food imports exceeded food exports in all food categories except 1) cocoa beans and products, 2) root crops and tubers, 3) oil-bearing crops and nuts, and 4) fruits and products. Fruit and vegetable consumption in Ghana has been declining since 2013. There was also a rise in the import and consumption of processed foods, especially tomato paste, sugars, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Food safety issues included microbial contamination, aflatoxin contamination, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked fish, mercury in fish, pesticide and heavy metal residues in vegetables and fruits, and food adulteration. The evidence synthesized from this study will be useful to inform the development of food-based dietary guidelines for Ghana

Positioning the national health insurance for financial sustainability and universal health coverage in Ghana: a qualitative study among key stakeholders

INTRODUCTION: The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was introduced in 2003 to reduce "out-of-pocket" payments for health care in Ghana. Over a decade of its implementation, issues about the financial sustainability of this pro-poor policy remains a crippling fact despite its critical role to go towards Universal Health Coverage. We therefore conducted this study to elicit stakeholders' views on ways to improve the financial sustainability of the operations of NHIS. METHODS: Twenty (20) stakeholders were identified from Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Services, health workers groups, private medical practitioners, civil society organizations and developmental partners. They were interviewed using an interview guide developed from a NHIS policy review and analysis. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed thematically with the aid of NVivo 12 software. RESULTS: Stakeholders admitted that the NHIS is currently unable to meet its financial obligations. The stakeholders suggested first the adoption of capitation as a provider payment mechanism to minimize the risk of providers' fraud and protection from political interference. Secondly, they indicated that rapid releases of specific statutory deductions and taxes for NHIS providers could reduce delays in claims' reimbursement which is one of the main challenges faced by healthcare providers. Aligning the NHIS with the Community-based Health Planning and Services and including preventive and promotive health is necessary to position the Scheme for Universal Health Coverage. CONCLUSION: The Scheme will potentially achieve UHC if protected from political interference to improve the governance and transparency that affects the finances of the scheme and the expansion of services to include preventive and promotive services and cancers

Sustainable Energy Transition in Russia and Ghana Within a Multi-Level Perspective

Received 5 April 2023. Accepted 30 August 2023. Published online 6 October 2023.This paper is a case study based on a critical review of existing literature and primary data through interviews to investigate energy transition framing and manifestation in the Global South. It provides critical insights into sustainable energy transition in Ghana and Russia within a multi-level perspective (MLP). We argue that whereas Ghana’s energy transition concepts and policies are mirrored by landscape, regime, and niche, practical transitioning has been slow due to inadequate resources and incentives, limited historical culpability in global greenhouse gas, and the country being locked-in to existing hydrocarbon socio-technical systems. The MLP approach is useful in describing energy technologies, markets, and consumption practices. But in Russia, social policy at distinct levels is united by centralised energy law and technical systems, as well as institutional rules and differences based on costs in economic regions. This paper contributes to the energy transitioning discourse within the Global South using Russia and Ghana as cases to highlight how transition policies and practices differ from country to country, driven by economic, political, social, cultural, and historical elements with global frameworks serving as guides. Rigid application of landscape, regime, and niche concepts is challenged in describing and analysing the context-specific nuances in sustainable energy transition policy across spaces. There is a fundamental challenge of mechanically fusing a one-fits-all approach to sustainable energy transitioning in developing countries and societies due to differences in historical contributions to climatic issues and inequality of access to resources and technologies. Energy transition processes and practices should be compatible with social justice.The fieldwork and data analysis for the Russian case was supported by the Russian Science Foundation under Grant No. 22-28-00392 “Waste production and disposal in the megalopolises of Russia: multisectoral and interdisciplinary analysis”. The Ghana section wish to acknowledge the funding support for the literature review and writing from the University of Ghana, through the Institute of African Studies (IAS) annual research support fund for research fellows at IAS

Which Topical Microbicides for Blocking HIV-1 Transmission Will Work in the Real World?

Klasse and colleagues discuss key research on the four crucial issues in developing a microbicide: safety, acceptability, efficacy, and affordability

Recruitment and selection strategies in optometric education towards addressing human resource disparities in sub-Saharan Africa

The dire need for eye care services and a dearth of human resources (HR) in sub-Saharan Africa motivated the setting up of new optometry programmes. However, to make a meaningful impact, geographical, gender, economic and educational disparities must additionally be addressed. A qualitative study utilizing purposive sampling to select academic leadership and students from optometry programmes in sub-Saharan Africa was conducted. Individual and focus group interviews produced data that were coded and analysed using a deductive thematic analysis approach. The themes that emerged as contributing to disparities in access through recruitment and selection were institutional barriers (student intake numbers, programme marketing, minimum entry requirements, absence of pre-medical programme) and socio-economic barriers (finance, poor secondary school education, lack of knowledge of optometry, geographic location of institutions, gender). To address equity, institutions should engage with communities, market via community radio stations, offer pre-medical and bridging programmes, partner with governments and private funders to offer loans and bursaries and affirm females and rural applicants in recruitment and selection. In conclusion, universities must be socially accountable in all facets of education including recruitment and selection

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic (vol 13, 517, 2022) : National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic (Nature Communications, (2022), 13, 1, (517), 10.1038/s41467-021-27668-9)

Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.In this article the author name ‘Agustin Ibanez’ was incorrectly written as ‘Augustin Ibanez’. The original article has been corrected.Peer reviewe

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic.

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = -0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics