Taking stock at the UN Food Systems Summit +4: Ghana’s path towards healthier food systems

 When food system stakeholders from around the world came together at the inaugural UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) four years ago, governments made bold and necessary commitments to ensure that food is grown, sold, consumed and disposed of in better ways for both people and planet.  

Now, governments, civil society, youth and other stakeholders will reunite in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake. From July 27 to 29, 2025, they will assess the progress made by nations towards securing a healthy, sustainable and equitable food system for all.  

Leading these efforts to track national food system commitments and hold governments accountable is Ghana.

As part of the Catalyzing Change for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems (CCHeFS) initiative, co-funded by IDRC and The Rockefeller Foundation, experts at the University of Ghana are developing an innovative toolkit to measure this progress.   

Ghana’s changing food environment  

Ghana, like many countries, is facing a double burden of malnutrition. On one hand, there is still a high burden of undernutrition and anaemia. On the other, obesity and diet-related diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure are rising — especially in cities. These challenges are being driven by rapidly changing food environments, aggressive marketing of unhealthy products and increasing pressure from climate-related shocks. 

To help address these problems, Ghana made 17 commitments at the UNFSS and at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2021, including to improve school meals, protect farming livelihoods, reduce food waste, produce food within planetary boundaries and help people make healthier food choices. However, big promises require real follow-up — which is exactly where the toolkit comes in. 

Building a national food systems scorecard 

Led by the University of Ghana and partners, a CCHeFS project has developed a set of indicators to help track whether Ghana is following through on its commitments. 

At the heart of this system is a ‘prioritization tool’ — a practical decision-making guide that helps determine what is most important to track right now. Some 50 experts came together to suggest more than 100 ways to measure progress, based on Ghana’s 17 national food commitments. These included everything from school meal quality, to farming support, to reducing food waste. 

Once the indicators were selected, the team developed simple, reliable ways to gather data, drawing from national surveys, health records and expert interviews. This data will help paint a clear picture of what is working and, alternatively, where efforts to ensure food systems progress are falling short. 

“We are confident that this approach will serve as a model for other African countries — helping turn global promises into everyday progress for families, farmers, and food producers alike,” said Professor Anna Lartey of the University of Ghana. 

An economic case for change 

But measurement is not the only goal — it’s also about making smart decisions. The project is conducting a cost-benefit analysis to estimate the real-world impact of proposed food policies. For instance, what could result from a tax put on sugary drinks in Ghana? Or what happens if Ghana provides subsidies for healthier foods? Preliminary findings suggest these steps could help prevent diet-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease while saving the country money in long-term health-care costs. In fact, Ghana would go on to put a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in 2023. 

In short, the project is creating a toolkit for change and giving Ghana the evidence it needs to invest wisely, act boldly and stay focused on approaches that deliver real results. 

“This project is about action,” said Professor Amos Laar of the University of Ghana. “We’ve had enough talk. Now we’re asking: Are we making real progress? And how can we support government and communities to stay on track?”  

Looking ahead 

The first national food system tracker report — a comprehensive overview of Ghana’s progress — is expected to be published in early 2026. It will bring together all the data collected through the project to show what’s working, what needs improvement and where efforts should focus next. 

This report will be shared with government ministries, local and international partners and food system stakeholders to guide future policy decisions, budget planning and public accountability efforts. It will also feed into Ghana’s official reporting to the United Nations on food system progress. 

Ultimately, the goal is to support healthier diets, stronger food systems and a better future — starting in Ghana, with the hope of spreading far across the region.