Project Coordination and Team

The proposed project will be jointly implemented by the Academia, Government Agencies, and Civil Society. The Academic partners will be represented by the University of Ghana, and will coordinate evidence synthesis, and capacity building activities. They will lead work package 1 (landscape analysis, coalition strengthening, and action research). The Food and Drugs Authority together with the University of Ghana will coordinate implementation of work package 2 (leveraging Food Composition Data, and Nutrient Profiling Model development). The Ministry of Health, together with the National Development Commission will coordinate the Policy Bundle Development. The Civil Society - Coalition of Actors for Public Health Advocacy will coordinate the advocacy and scholar activism (please refer the Project Coordination Framework below).

University of Ghana
Established in 1948, the University of Ghana is Ghana’s premier university and a leading center of excellence for training, research and innovation in multiple fields. It was established for the purpose of providing and promoting university education, learning and research. As a University poised to distinguish itself in the area of research to make an impact at the national and international level, the University launched a new Strategic Plan (2014-2024) to consolidate the gains made toward becoming one of the top research intensive university in the world. The University’s Vision is: To become a world class research-intensive University over the next decade. Its Mission is: To create an enabling environment that makes University of Ghana increasingly relevant to national and global development through cutting-edge research as well as high quality teaching and learning.

Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health (MoH) was established under the Civil Service Law, 1993 (PNDC Law 327) with a mandate to develop and co-ordinate relevant health policies towards effective health service delivery. The sector has four main objectives working towards to achieve the broader goal of ensuring good health and well-being for all people living in Ghana. These are:

Ensure Sustainable, Affordable, Equitable, Easily Accessible Healthcare Services (Universal Health Coverage)
Reduce Morbidity and Mortality, Intensify Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases
Enhance Efficiency in Governance and Management
Intensify Prevention and Control of Communicable Disease and Ensure the Reduction of New HIV/AIDS and other STI, especially among the Vulnerable

The Ministry of Health also seeks to improve the health status of all people living in Ghana, through the development and promotion of proactive policies for both public and private sector institutions, provision of universal access to basic health service, and the provision of quality and affordable health services.

National Development Planning Commission
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) is an authoritative planning body providing sound policy choices for sustainable and even development of Ghana. The NDPC was established under Articles 86 and 87 of the 1992 Constitution as part of the Executive. The National Development Planning Commission Act, 1994 (Act 479) and the National Development Planning (System) Act, 1994 (Act 480) provide the core legal framework for the establishment of the Commission and the performance of its functions. The mandate of NDPC is to advise the President of the Republic of Ghana (and Parliament on request) on national development planning policy and strategy by providing a national development policy framework, preparing and ensuring effective implementation of approved national development plans and to coordinate economic, and social activities country-wide in a manner that will ensure accelerated and sustainable development of the country to promote continuous improvement in the living standards of all Ghanaians.

Coalition of Actors for Public Health Advocacy
The “Coalition of Actors for Public Health Advocacy (CAPHA)” is a public interest coalition that brings together both state and non-state actors to advocate for public health. As a Coalition, CAPHA has the requisite expertise and experience to advocate for the development, deployment, and evaluation of public health interventions. CAPHA’s academic partners in this and related projects include the University of Ghana, civil society partners include the Ghana NCD Alliance, Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Ghana Public Health Association, as well as some Members of Parliament, Ghana.

Prof. Amos Laar is a tenure-track academic at the University of Ghana School of Public Health. Currently, his research and professional practice focus on three distinct, yet related areas of public health: Bioethics (including food ethics, ethics & public health); Public Health Nutrition (including food systems, food environments, and their nexus with nutrition-related non-communicable diseases); Social Public Health (including how physical environments, social environments, as well as commercial, and political forces influence realization of health). Prof Laar is the Principal Investigator of the IDRC-funded ‘MEALS4NCDs project’, which is providing Measurement, Evaluation, Accountability and Leadership Support for NCDs prevention in Ghana, as well as the IDRC/Rockefeller Foundation-funded ‘Healthier Diets for Healthy Lives Project’, which aims to build evidence and mobilize multi-stakeholder actions toward policies for healthier and equitable consumer food environments that reduce the double burden of malnutrition in Ghana.

Emma Ofori Agyemang (Mrs.) is the substantive Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Directorate of the Ministry of Health. She has worked in the Civil Service for over twenty-six (26) years. As Director, PPME, she leads the technical processes in sector policy development, sector budgeting, monitoring & evaluation. She holds M. Phil in Public Administration from the University of Ghana, Legon and an Executive Masters in Governance & Leadership (EMGL) from the Ghana Institute of Management & Public Administration, GIMPA. Before joining the Ministry of Health in January, 2023, she was Director, Finance and Administration and Director, PPME at the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.

Hon. (Dr) Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare is trained Physician specialist (Public Health) with interest in Nutrition, Population and Family health. He has over 10 years’ experience of medical practice in the rural areas of Northern Ghana. He served in various leadership positions such as medical superintendent and District Director of Health Service. He was a Board Member of Global Fund Ghana (CCM). He is currently a Member of Parliament for the Daffiama Bussie Issa Constituency, He also serve as a member of the Health Committee in Parliament as well as a representative of parliament on the Ghana Aids Commission Governing Board

Percy Adomako Agyekum is a Director, a Chief Regulatory Officer and Head of the Food Evaluation & Registration Department of the FDA. He has over twenty years (20) experience in food regulation and has interest in Food Safety, Quality Management Systems Auditing and Research. He is the Ag. Secretary of the FDA’s Technical Advisory Committee on Nutrition and has handled projects such as UNICEF Funded Breast Code Monitoring, Effects of Advertisements on NCDs as the Lead investigator and currently the FDA lead for HD4HL Project. He has contributed to international food regulation as Ghana’s Delegate for Codex Committee for Food Additives and Food Labelling over the past decade. He is passionate about his work and food safety. He loves to serve people.

Ms. Mary Mpereh is the Ag. Director of the Development Policy and Planning Division of the National Development Planning Commission. She has over twenty years’ post masters experience in social policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation and a passion for ensuring that Ghana’s development agenda is gender sensitive and socially responsive, leaving no one behind. As the SUN technical focal point, and more recently, co-convener of Ghana’s Food Systems Dialogues, she coordinated mainstreaming of Food and Nutrition Security issues into the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II, 2006-2009); Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA I, 2010-2013 and GSGDA II, 2014-2017); and Agenda for Jobs: Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunity for All (AFJ I, 2018-2021 and AFJ II, 2022-2025). Her ultimate desire is to see a strong local response to Food Systems Transformation and Nutrition Security, culminating in better health outcomes for Ghanaians.

Prof. Nana Akua Anyidoho is Associate Professor at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) and Director of the Centre for Social Policy Studies (CSPS), both at the University of Ghana. She holds a PhD in Human Development and Social Policy and is interested in the participation and empowerment of marginalized social groups (particularly women and young people) in policy processes. Prof. Anyidoho has carried out research in these areas with funding from DFID, IDRC, UNECA, the World Bank, and the Open Society, among others. She was the lead consultant for the Social Development Strategy for Ghana’s Long-Term National Development Plan under the NDPC, and was also co-lead for UNECA's report, 'The Situational Analysis of Youth in Africa', which culminated in the development of a policy toolbox for African governments. More information about her projects, publications and policy engagement can be found at www.anyidoho.me

Framework and Partners

Collaborating Institutions

Project Coordination Team