GHANA – The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has launched the Ghana Living Lab, an initiative under the HealthyDiets4Africa (HD4A) project, aimed at tackling malnutrition and promoting food diversification across the country.
The project seeks to enhance access to a wide variety of nutritious foods, targeting populations in Africa and facilitating dietary changes that prioritize diversity and sustainability.
The official launch took place in Accra during the Ghana Living Lab stakeholder workshop, which convened key representatives from strategic institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission.
The event also saw participation from partner agencies in neighboring countries, including Benin, Togo, and Nigeria, alongside local farmers.
A collaborative approach to nutrition
The workshop provided an essential platform for stakeholders to discuss and identify actions to be carried out by local participants as part of the HD4A project.
Organized by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), IITA, and its partners, with funding from the European Union (EU), the workshop highlighted the collaborative nature of the initiative.
Dr. Richard Asare, Ghana Country Representative of IITA, explained that the project introduces an innovative approach aimed at transforming the entire food system to sustainably improve nutrition in Africa.
“The HD4A project is designed to promote healthy diets while safeguarding the environment,” Dr. Asare stated, adding that the project will conduct pioneering research and innovation in diet monitoring across eight African countries, including Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Liberia, Cameroon, Kenya, and Uganda.
Innovations in food system diversification
Dr. Asare highlighted that the project envisions the development and distribution of new, more nutritious varieties of major staple crops.
These varieties are expected to replace less nutritious options currently in use, thereby improving the overall nutritional status of targeted populations. Additionally, the project aims to develop production technology and recipes for underutilized and nutrient-rich African crop species, such as indigenous vegetables that are not widely adopted.
The project also seeks to enhance existing cropping systems under a diversification paradigm, making them more ecologically sustainable and improving the diversity of agricultural produce. This holistic approach is expected to improve food security and nutritional outcomes across the region.
Leveraging experience from Nigeria
Dr. Titilayo Falade, a Food Safety Scientist at IITA Nigeria, urged Ghanaian counterparts to leverage the experiences gained from Nigeria’s Living Lab, which was launched last year with a focus on food safety concerns.
She noted that Nigeria’s efforts have been directed towards addressing issues related to heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins in the food supply chain.
According to Dr. Falade, these initiatives have allowed Nigeria to generate critical data on the current state of healthy diets in relation to food safety.
“By collaborating with various partners, we successfully generated valuable data that can be utilized for policy improvements, informing policymakers and knowledge institutions, and guiding future directions in food safety,” she said, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based approaches to advancing the goals of the HD4A project.
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