By Eunice Hilda Ampomah, GNA
Accra, Sept. 27, GNA – The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nestle Ghana Limited to organise training programmes for journalists in health reportage with special focus on nutrition.
The MoU, which would allow Nestle and GJA to institute a “Special Category Award on Nutrition” for the best nutrition reporter in the annual GJA Awards ceremony for the next three years, would encourage journalists to redirect focus on educating the public on nutrition through their reportage.
The winner of this category, would receive an amount of GH?5,000.00 from Nestle Ghana Limited.
Mr Roland Affail Monney, the President of the GJA, said according to a study conducted by the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, 5.5 million Ghanaians were malnourished, adding that, malnutrition was a number one contributor to diseases in Ghana.
He said 300,000 people died every year globally as a result of malnutrition, out of which young ones constituted 50 per cent.
The report, he said, was unfortunate for Ghanaians as the country had rich and nutritious food groups and called on journalists to use their media platforms to promote healthy diets filled with vitamins among the citizenry.
Mr Monney urged journalists to contribute towards the achievement of the “Sustainable Development Goal 2”, which called on all nations to “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.”
He commended Nestle Ghana for the support to promote healthy living among the population, explaining that, it was the first organisational to support towards the GJA in the celebration of its 70th anniversary.
Ms Philomena Tan, the Managing Director of Nestle Ghana, said the nutrition challenges that confronted the nation were varied, ranging from under nutrition to over nutrition.
The Ghana Demographic and Health Survey estimates anaemia in children under five years at 66 per cent, women in their reproductive age (15-49 years) at 42 per cent, and pregnant women at 45 per cent, she disclosed.
She reiterated that, stunting and obesity as a result of not having the right nutrition, were equally worrying for children and women, impacting 19 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.
Dealing with such challenges required a collaborative effort of all including the media, she added.
“If we give nutrition the relevance in national discourse, lives of individuals and families will improve and we will all be better contributors to national transformation,” she said.
Ms Tan explained that Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future drove initiatives that they embarked on to contribute to the nutrition health and wellness of people within the communities related to their business.
She explained that the partnership with GJA, was part of their 2030 global ambition to help 50 million children lead healthier lives.
GNA
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