When it comes to putting food on the table, where you live in Ghana could make all the difference. While some households in the cities manage three meals a day, many rural families are still unsure where their next one will come from.
As the world marked World Food Day 2025 under the theme “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future,” the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) released new data highlighting the country’s continuing struggle with food insecurity. The findings paint a sobering picture of regional disparities in access to adequate and nutritious food.
The Volta Region continues to record the highest level of food insecurity, rising from 51.5 percent in the first quarter of 2024 to 52 percent by the last quarter. In contrast, the Greater Accra Region, home to Ghana’s capital and better-developed infrastructure, had the lowest incidence, moving from 20.2 percent to 29 percent over the same period.
The figures reveal a growing divide between rural and urban Ghana, where location increasingly determines food access and nutrition, despite ongoing national initiatives to fight hunger and improve livelihoods.
National Efforts to Improve Food Production
Over the years, successive governments have launched programmes aimed at modernizing agriculture, improving yields, and ensuring food availability across all regions.
A major initiative, the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme, introduced in 2017, sought to make farming more attractive and productive. It boosted crop yields in its early years, particularly for maize and rice. However, limited access to fertilizer, erratic rainfall, and post-harvest losses have slowed its impact.
Similarly, projects like One District, One Dam and the Agricultural Mechanization Service Centres were intended to address irrigation and mechanization challenges. Yet, many of these interventions have been hampered by funding gaps, weak monitoring, and the growing effects of climate change, especially in northern and eastern parts of Ghana.
The Growing Food Import Burden
Despite these national efforts, Ghana’s dependence on imported food remains high. The country now spends over US$2 billion annually on imports such as rice, wheat, poultry, and processed foods.
This heavy import bill continues to weigh on the economy and exposes Ghana to global food price shocks and supply disruptions, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It also underscores how local food production has not kept pace with population growth and rising urban demand.
For many, this signals a pressing need for stronger investment in homegrown agriculture and the removal of structural barriers preventing farmers from competing effectively with imports.
Bridging the Regional Divide
The contrast between Volta’s worsening food insecurity and Accra’s relatively better performance highlights an uneven spread of agricultural support and development across the country. Regions such as Savannah, Upper East, and Upper West also face recurring food shortages, often linked to poor infrastructure, limited access to credit, and climate-induced crop failures.
To close the gap, stakeholders believe there must be greater investment in irrigation, input subsidies, extension services, and post-harvest management, particularly in high-risk regions. Supporting smallholder farmers who produce most of Ghana’s food remains key to achieving a balanced and resilient food system.
A Call to Action on World Food Day
The release of the GSS data during the 2025 World Food Day celebration serves as both a reminder and a call to action. It reminds the nation that ending hunger requires more than annual observances. It demands consistent policy implementation, equitable resource allocation, and empowerment of local producers.
If Ghana is to live up to the theme “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future,” then every effort must go into ensuring that no Ghanaian goes to bed hungry simply because of where they live.
