As part of measures to reduce the intake of carbonated foods and sweets among children, the Wa Municipal Education Directorate has banned the selling of carbonated drinks and sweets in all basic schools.
The move by the education directorate is to encourage the consumption of Indigenous foods, reducing the health risks associated with the intake of carbonated and ultra-processed foods.
Mr Banuoku Nwene Stephen, the Early Childhood Coordinator for Wa Municipal Education Directorate, made this known at the Beverly Hills Academy indigenous food day on Wednesday, March 5.
“At our level too we ensure that we went ahead to ban all processed foods, the sweets, we have banned them from our schools.
“Now when you get to our basic schools, you will not find these toffees, these sweet sugary drinks again there. At our level this is what we are doing to ensure that we promote the consumption of indigenous foods,” he added.
The Beverly Hills Academy, a private basic school, as part of the Heritage Month celebration, organised an Indigenous food day where learners in the school were divided into groups to prepare various Ghanaian Indigenous foods.
Mr Stephen thanked the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) for partnering with the Educational Directorate on the “My Food is African” campaign. The campaign promotes local and indigenous foods and aims to improve health and sustainability.
“Looking at the kind of programs CIKOD is rolling out, this is one of the best as far as the municipal education is concern. That is why we have come out boldly to ensure that we support this programme.”
He mentioned that the GES promotes the consumption of indigenous foods among children and continues to educate parents during PTA meetings about the need to consume indigenous foods.
Madam Pearl Churchill Ken-Arthur, the Proprietress of Beverly Hills Academy, praised CIKOD for the "My Food is African" campaign. She noted that the indigenous meals prepared by the students were a direct result of the insights they gained from the campaign.
“With the help of CIKOD, when they came and enlightened us about some of the sicknesses that are going on concerning the foods that we are eating and now through the process that they took us through, we want to exhibit for the people of Upper West to know that taking our indigenous food is very important.”
She noted that the school is actively discouraging the consumption of processed foods.
“What we are encouraging all students now is that we should continue to promote the local foods and local drinks so that at the end of the day, you may get good health,” she noted.
Mr. Banuoku Daniel, the Deputy Director of CIKOD, commended the school for initiating Indigenous Food Day following the My Food is African campaign.
“He said it was a proud moment especially that we are celebrating this within the month that we chose as a country to celebrate our heritage as a republic. Today, there couldn’t have been any better way to celebrate the heritage month than to connect our heritage to our food.”
He noted the health and economic advantages of consuming traditional foods.a
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