Celebrated for championing Ghana’s food future through creativity, culture, and community
Lydia Kekeli Amenyaglo, Creative Director of the Ghana Food Movement (GFM), has been named one of this year’s Global Citizen Prize Winners. She is being honoured on the global stage for her pioneering efforts to transform Ghana’s food systems through culture, creativity, and community empowerment.
At just 36 years old, Lydia is changing the narrative around food in Ghana — not only in how it is produced and consumed, but also in how it connects people to identity, pride, and possibility. Through her role at GFM, she has led bold, locally rooted campaigns and built platforms that unite chefs, farmers, and young creatives to celebrate and elevate, redefining what it means to eat and create locally.
Her latest initiative, Buy Ghana, Build Ghana, is instilling national pride and promoting an “abundance mindset” by encouraging the use of indigenous ingredients and
re-centering food as a tool for economic empowerment – a belief she sees as key to building the African continent.
Lydia is also the founder of plentyplenty.africa, a regenerative cocoa farm and creative studio that’s reshaping how Ghanaians view cocoa. Moving beyond just chocolate, her work reimagines cocoa’s potential and cultural value, telling new stories around one of the country’s most important crops.
Her recognition by Global Citizen, the world’s leading international advocacy organization on a mission to end extreme poverty, is not just a personal achievement, but a powerful spotlight on Ghana’s growing food movement and the importance of African-led innovation in solving global challenges.
“These remarkable leaders are driving progress on some of the most urgent issues of
our time – they’re defending human rights, transforming food systems, and fighting for a brighter future for their communities,” said Liza Henshaw, President, Global Citizen. “Each of them brings bold vision and deep commitment to their work, and we’re proud to amplify their extraordinary efforts and support the growth of their organizations.”
The awards will be presented during Global Citizen NOW, taking place in New York City on Wednesday, April 30, which will convene leaders in government, policy, advocacy, the private sector, media, entertainment, and philanthropy to drive action to end extreme poverty. The event will also honour recipients of the Cisco Youth Leadership Award and
