Making food-related health taxes palatable in sub-Saharan Africa: lessons from Ghana

Abstract

Amidst high burden of infectious diseases, undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are predicted to become the leading cause of death in Ghana by 2030. NCDs are driven to a large extent, by unhealthy food environments. Concerned, the Ghana Ministry of Health (MOH) has since 2012 sought to garner the support of all to address this challenge. We aimed to support the MOH in address the challenge through public health policy measures, but would soon be reminded that longstanding challenges to policy development such as data poverty and policy inertia needed to be addressed. To do this, we generated the needed evidence, curated the evidence, and availed the evidence to Ghanaian policymakers, researchers and civil society actors. Thus, we addressed the problem of data poverty using context-relevant research and policy inertia through advocacy and scholar activism. In this paper, we share how a public-interest coalition used context-relevant research, evidence-informed advocacy and scholar activism to valorise and increase demand for healthy food policy (including food-related health taxes) in Ghana.