The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), with funding support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is intensifying efforts to improve nutrition and learning outcomes among school-aged children in Ghana through the introduction of fortified rice in both public and private schools across several regions.
The initiative, being implemented in collaboration with key government partners – including the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ghana Health Service (GHS), and Women in Agriculture Development (WIAD) – is currently being piloted to assess the feasibility and economic viability of scaling up rice fortification nationwide.
Globally, large-scale rice fortification has proven to be an effective intervention for addressing micronutrient deficiencies in populations where rice is a staple food.
The Ghana pilot involves enriching rice with essential vitamins and minerals during the milling process, with the aim of improving child nutrition while strengthening local food systems. Under the public schools component, the programme targets 157,510 students, made up of 111,247 basic school pupils and 46,263 senior high school students.
At Ejisu Secondary Technical School in the Ashanti Region, Headmistress Mrs. Grace Asomani said the introduction of fortified rice has had positive nutritional benefits for students, despite initial challenges with acceptance.
“As we all know, fortified rice contains added nutrients unlike the ordinary polished white rice we are used to. This has contributed significantly to the nutrition of our students. If we continue feeding students with fortified rice, malnutrition will eventually be a thing of the past,” she told GHOne News.
Mrs. Asomani acknowledged that the transition was not without difficulties, noting that many students were initially resistant due to their preference for polished, perfumed white rice.
“We educated the students before the project was rolled out and even organized nutrition campaigns where Home Economics students prepared different meals such as rice drinks and rice-based recipes using the fortified rice. Despite this, there was still some resistance at the beginning, so continuous education was necessary,” she explained.
She added that because the rice was unpolished, some batches had to be returned to suppliers for further processing to improve acceptability.
“We had to send some back for polishing and fortification. While a few students struggled to accept the brown rice initially, with time and education, acceptance improved and we no longer faced major challenges,” she said.
WFP, in partnership with GES and GSFP, selected 365 basic schools and 35 senior high schools in 12 districts across six regions – Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Ashanti, Oti and Greater Accra – for the pilot phase.
Ashanti Regional School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator, Addo Emmanuel, said the initiative complements national efforts to improve nutrition in schools and communities.
“The World Food Programme came in to support schools with the nutritional aspects of their feeding programmes. Currently, more than 30 schools in the region are enrolled, and we have visited about 25 of them, covering both basic and senior high schools,” he said.
He noted that the programme is not limited to schools alone but is also intended to influence positive nutritional behaviour within surrounding communities.
“We observed that some students relied heavily on fizzy drinks and unhealthy foods. Introducing fortified rice helps address these challenges and promotes healthier eating habits,” he explained.
Mr. Addo further revealed that health assessments conducted in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service showed cases of anaemia and obesity among some students, especially in rural areas, making nutritional interventions critical.
“As part of the programme, schools have also introduced ‘nutrition-friendly’ initiatives, including designated days for fruits, vegetables, eggs and other healthy foods. This has significantly improved awareness and dietary practices among students,” he added.
To ensure sustainability and promote local production, WFP has invested in rice fortification capacity by procuring four rice fortification equipment units valued at more than US$80,000 for millers in the Upper East, Ashanti, Greater Accra and North-East regions. Three of the units have been delivered and installed, while the fourth is pending delivery and installation.
Following installation, WFP supplied 60 metric tonnes of fortified rice kernels valued at over US$91,000 to support fortification and distribution. Fortified rice is supplied to basic schools through caterers and to senior high schools through the National Food Buffer Stock Company.
In 2025, millers including BBN Cooperative in the Upper East Region and Franco Food Processing and Farms in the Ashanti Region supplied a combined 170 metric tonnes of fortified rice and 61.7 metric tonnes of parboiled unpolished rice to nine selected senior high schools in the Upper East, Northern and Ashanti regions.
Max Industries is also expected to produce 200 metric tonnes for private schools and WFP livelihood programmes targeting pregnant and breastfeeding women, children and adolescent girls.
The programme has also been extended to low-fee-paying private schools in deprived communities in Northern Ghana. A total of 208 private schools across 17 districts in four regions are participating, with a projected reach of more than 60,000 children. So far, 123 metric tonnes of fortified rice have been supplied, reaching 58,991 pupils and contributing to a 7.9 per cent increase in school enrolment.
To enhance accountability and efficiency, WFP has introduced a hybrid cash-and-value voucher system, expanded its network of trained food retailers, established School Implementation Committees, and digitized reporting through the School Connect platform.
WFP said it is currently finalizing a cost-benefit analysis to guide decisions on scaling up the programme and assessing the feasibility of making fortified rice consumption mandatory under the Ghana School Feeding Programme and for the general public.
The agency and its government partners reaffirmed their commitment to expanding the reach and sustainability of fortified rice to improve child nutrition, strengthen education outcomes, and support local agricultural value chains across the country.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Isaac Justice Bediako
