A new science-policy platform has been launched to address rising diet-related diseases and malnutrition across Africa, bringing together policymakers, researchers, and development partners to drive coordinated action on food systems transformation.
The initiative, known as the Africa Regional Collaborative for Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH-ARC), convened stakeholders from Africa, Europe, and North America in Accra for its official launch, alongside project presentations and stakeholder dialogues focused on strengthening food systems.
The central message from the launch was that “Africa must move from fragmented food system responses to integrated, evidence-driven action” in Accra.
A speech delivered on behalf of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, described the launch as the beginning of “a deliberate shift toward more coordinated, evidence-driven, and action-oriented food systems transformation across Africa.”
He noted that despite improvements in food production, many systems across the continent continue to produce food without delivering adequate nutrition, contributing to persistent malnutrition and increasing diet-related diseases.
The minister stressed the need for stronger coordination across sectors.
“Increasing production alone is not sufficient. We must deliberately connect agricultural policies with nutrition outcomes, health systems, and market dynamics to ensure that our food systems deliver better diets and improved wellbeing”, he noted.
He added that food systems challenges span agriculture, health, trade, and finance, and require integrated responses rather than fragmented interventions. He also reaffirmed government commitment to evidence-based policymaking, inclusive food systems, and climate-resilient approaches, describing ANH-ARC as a platform to bridge research, policy, and implementation.
Presenting the project overview, Professor Amos Laar, Principal Investigator of ANH-ARC, said the initiative responds to long-standing gaps between research, policy, and implementation in African food systems.
He observed that although agricultural production has improved in many countries, this progress has not consistently translated into better nutrition or health outcomes.
In his words, “Food systems decisions are still too fragmented.”
He explained that agriculture, nutrition, and health must operate in an integrated manner to address the growing burden of diet-related diseases. He added that the initiative will generate and translate policy-relevant evidence to support governments in designing interventions that improve access to affordable, healthy diets.
He further noted that the platform will focus on food environments, financing, and governance, with the goal of ensuring evidence leads to policy change and measurable impact.
In her keynote address, Dr Anna Lartey, Professor of Nutrition at the University of Ghana, called for a shift in how African food systems are designed, urging governments to prioritise nutrition outcomes alongside food production.
She emphasised that increasing food supply alone would not address malnutrition without deliberate efforts to improve diet quality.
“Africa must ensure that what is produced and consumed nourishes its people,” she said, adding that policies must protect vulnerable groups, especially children, from unhealthy food environments.
Delivering a second keynote address, Hon. Neema Lugangira, a former Member of Parliament from Tanzania, highlighted the importance of political will and accountability in turning commitments into action.
She warned that policy discussions alone would not achieve results without sustained implementation and monitoring.
“We must move beyond commitments to measurable results,” she said,
She also called for inclusive governance systems that engage citizens, particularly young people, in shaping food policy decisions.
Stakeholders at the event discussed key challenges affecting food systems across the continent, including high costs of nutritious food, the expansion of ultra-processed foods, and weak coordination between agriculture, health, and finance sectors.
They also called for stronger investment strategies and improved policy coherence to ensure food systems transformation is sustainable and scalable.
A stakeholder panel emphasised the need for accountability mechanisms to ensure research is translated into practical outcomes.
The discussions produced key messages for Africa’s food systems agenda, including that nutrition must be central to development planning and not treated as a secondary outcome of agriculture.
It also emphasised that healthy diets must be made affordable and accessible, particularly for low-income populations.
Stakeholders further noted that African-led solutions must remain central, grounded in local realities and strengthened through regional collaboration.
