$2.15m project unveiled to tackle acute malnutrition

The second phase of the “Accelerating Access to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs)” project, aimed at tackling acute malnutrition among children under five, was launched in Accra last Thursday.

RUTFs are high-energy, nutrient-dense foods recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in children, to support recovery and healthy growth.

The new investment of $2.15 million, covering July 2025 to December 2026, will focus on integrating life-saving malnutrition treatment into Ghana’s public health system and securing sustained government financing to build on the gains of the initial phase.

The project is being implemented by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the Eleanor Crook Foundation, both non-governmental organisations.

Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Director-General of the GHS, Dr Caroline Reindorf Amissah, said undernutrition remained one of the most pressing public health challenges affecting children in the country.

She noted that SAM, a severe form of undernutrition characterised by wasting, affects about 61,600 children in Ghana each year, yet only 15 per cent of them receive treatment.

“A malnourished child is more vulnerable to infections, less likely to do well in school, and less able as an adult to contribute productively to the nation.

Undernutrition is not just a health problem, it is a developmental challenge,” she noted.

Dr Reindorf described RUTF as a game changer that had already demonstrated remarkable impact during its first phase, restoring thousands of children to good health, saving families from the trauma of preventable loss, and easing the burden on mothers who could now administer treatment at home.

She outlined goals for the second phase, including reaching at least 90 per cent of affected children with RUTFs, establishing a national procurement pathway, and sustaining multi-sector partnerships to ensure that all children in Ghana survive, grow, and thrive.

The Deputy D-G affirmed the Service’s commitment to tackling child wasting as a national priority and called for stakeholders’ support to ensure the nation’s future was safeguarded.

“No child should slip through the cracks. Our goal is to ensure that every child suffering from malnutrition can be identified and treated closer to home,” he said.

The Country Director for CHAI, Leslie Emegbuonye, lauded the progress made so far in the initial phase including the donation of 13,000 cartons of RUTF and anthropometric equipment to 20 districts across 10 regions of the country.

He emphasized the importance of building robust systems to remove financial barriers, secure RUTF supply chains, and integrate malnutrition treatment as a routine part of public health care in Ghana.

Dr Yashodhara Rana, Associate Director of Research at the Eleanor Crook Foundation, commended Ghana’s leadership in moving from donor-driven pilots to a government-led model.

“What is happening here is not just a programme, it is a model for Africa and the world. Ghana is showing that nutrition interventions can be integrated, financed, and sustained within the national health system,” she said.