Nestlé Ghana and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) have entered an agreement for the promotion of good nutrition among Ghanaians.
The three year partnership deal, signed between the two organizations in Accra, will see journalists benefiting from capacity building workshops in nutrition to spur their interest in reporting nutrition related issues.
A special award category, for best nutrition story has also been instituted for the 2019 annual journalists’ excellence awards per the agreement.
The winner for the category as adjudged by the awards’ committee will receive GH¢5,000 cash prize from Nestlé. Nestlé will also support the awards ceremony with GH¢15,000.
Managing Director of Nestlé Ghana, Philomena Tan, in her welcome address said nutrition plays a pivotal role in the development and growth of economies as the health and wellbeing of people is a major contributing factor.
“It is important to acknowledge that the health and wellbeing of a people contributes strongly to growth and development of economies around the world. Through nutrition education, we can help create a better future for our children,” added.
She reiterated Nestlé’s ambition to help 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030 and sited the partnership with GJA as one of the company’s initiatives in that direction.
“Nutrition helps create the foundation that is necessary for a brighter future for our children and families,” she stated.
She thus expressed her pleasure at the new partnership which will build stronger collaboration to inform, educate and influence positive behaviors of the public in the area of nutrition.
President of the GJA, Roland Affail Monney in his remarks raise concern about the high malnutrition rate of the country despite the abundance of food.
He said by divine grace, relatively cheap and quantitatively huge sources of protein and vitamins are available everywhere in Ghana to encourage all of us to eat well, adding “it will not take rocket signs or deep pocket to provide balanced diet.
Mr. Monney therefore urged the media to assume the role of campaigners and spread the nutrition message.
Aside this partnership, Nestlé has over the years, been championing nutrition education through “non-branded” programs such as the Nestlé Nutrition Line, and Nestlé for Healthier Kids, a nutrition education program that empowers parents, caregivers and educators to foster healthier drinking, eating, and lifestyle habits among children.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri