Institute Of Leadership And Development (INSLA) And Coalition Of Actors In Public Health Advocacy (CAPHA), Through Healthier Diets Advocacy Walk In Accra, Called On Government To Implement Key Policies For Healthier Diets.

In collaboration with the Coalition of Actors of Public Health Advocacy (CAPHA), the Institute

of Leadership and Development INSLA organized an Advocacy Walk (FLOAT) for Healthier

Diets to promote healthy eating habits in Ghana. The walk was held in the Osu Community, on

the 27th of March 2025, under the theme “Ensuring Healthier Diets in Ghana with Evidence and

Actions Towards a Double Duty Food Policy Bundle. The walk began at the Osu Presbyterian

school Park, passing through the principal streets of Osu, Ministry of Education, Ministry of

Labor and Employment, Ghana Health Service, Tema station, before passing through the street

of Parliament House of Ghana and ending the walk at the starting point (OSU Presby Park).

Mr Ali Issah the Manager of Projects at INSLA addressed the participants by welcoming them

and extending his appreciation to them for joining the float despite their schedules. He also

explained the focus of the float to the participants and cautioned them to be safe during the walk.

He also explained the four policies to the participants so that the youth of Osu who joined in the

walk will know what the policies seeks to address.

Speaking at the float during the interview session, Mr. Benjamin Anabila, the director of INSLA,

urged the government to adopt key policy measures to improve public health through nutrition.

He emphasized on what the four policies the project seeks for implementation. He explained that

Public Food Procurement and Service Policy seeks to ensure that food served and procured in

public settings like hospitals, schools, prisons, restaurants, etc will promote healthy diets, Front￾of-Pack Labelling policy is to ensure that food products are labelled in ways that consumers can

read and understand clearly so that it can inform their Food choices, Food Marketing Restrictions

seeks to ensure that the advertisement of unhealthy diets on television is restricted to protect our

kids from unhealthy diets and Food-Related Fiscal Policy seeks to promote the taxation of

unhealthy diet like sugary drinks, fats, salts and the likes to deter people from consuming them.

He stressed that these measures would not only improve public health but also boost consumer

confidence in the safety and nutritional value of food sold in Ghana. Mr. Anabila mentioned that

“There is a saying that what you consume represents you. If you import a product into Ghana

labeled in Chinese or Spanish, how will I be able to read it? We are calling for regulations to

ensure that all imported food products have labels in English so consumers can make informed

choices,” He explained that there should be easy to read and understand labelling on food

products to ensure that people know the contents of what they are consuming.

Whilst addressing the community during the walk, Mr. Anabila called on food vendors to strictly

adhere to food policy regulations to safeguard their health and that of their customers. “Food

vendors should also abide by the regulations in place to ensure the safety of the food they serve

to the public,” he advised. Mr. Anabila also urged the government and the Food and Drugs

Authority (FDA) to tighten regulations on advertising unhealthy food products on television and

social media, ensuring that misleading promotions do not influence consumer choices. He also

admonished individuals to prioritize their health by ensuring that the food they consume into

their bodies are healthy. He advised that people cut down their intake of sugar, salt, fats and

frizzy drinks but cultivate the habit of eating more fruits and vegetables into their diets. He also

cautioned that if we do not prioritize the food, we eat by eating healthy, we will end up taking

medicine as food.

Fliers with key information about the four policies were shared during the walk. Placard with

various messages like Ghana needs a MANDATORY Front-of -Pack Labels NOW!, We deserve

to know what we are eating. Simple!, Foods sold and served in public places like schools and

hospitals must be healthy, No Public funds should be spent on Unhealthy foods, Support taxes on

unhealthy foods, Tax unhealthy foods, subsidize the healthier ones, Say NO to unhealthy and

misleading food ads, Misleading food advertisement must stop now!, Unhealthy foods are killing

millions yearly, Food policy actions are urgently needed, Drink water instead of sugary drinks to

stay healthy and Water is life amongst other things., Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy and the likes.

The advocacy walk aimed to raise awareness about the importance of healthy eating and

encourage the government to take evidence-based actions for a healthier nation.