The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) is calling for greater use of innovation, research and technology to strengthen Ghana’s food security and reduce the country’s reliance on imported food commodities.

The call was made at a media briefing in Accra to mark the upcoming World Food Day 2026, under the theme “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.”

FAO Representative in Ghana, Dr Meshack Malo, said the agriculture sector presents significant opportunities for young people to develop solutions to some of Ghana’s food challenges.

He noted that the country spends significant amounts importing commodities such as tomatoes and chicken, stressing the need to use science and technology to improve local production.

“The agriculture sector offers hope, but we believe that we can work together through leveraging on science, leveraging on technology, leveraging on AI in order to make this sector better, to be able to nourish tomorrow,” Dr Malo said.

He encouraged young people to take advantage of opportunities in the agriculture sector and access available financing to develop innovative solutions.

Meanwhile, Head of the Department of Nutrition, Diet and Metabolic Sciences at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Dr Gloria Folson, highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in nutrition research.

She said researchers are pioneering the use of AI for dietary assessment, with the validation of the FRANI mobile app showing promising results in estimating nutrient intake among school-age children and adolescent girls.

“Our validation of the FRANI mobile app has shown that AI can accurately estimate nutrient intake amongst school-age children and adolescent girls between 10 and 19,” Dr Folson said.

She added that research into Ghana’s school feeding programme has also identified opportunities to improve nutrition through the inclusion of eggs, textured soy protein and other locally available foods.

President of the Hospitality Alliance of Ghana, Chef Joseph Wilson-Tetteh, is meanwhile advocating sustainable food practices to reduce waste and maximise the value of locally available food.

He said Ghana could learn from countries where food parts that are often discarded are incorporated into meals.

“Why can't we also look at sustainable food practices and reduce waste?” Chef Wilson-Tetteh asked.

He cited the use of parts of chicken, fish and other foods that are often discarded in Ghana but are valued in other cultures.

The speakers called for stronger collaboration among government, researchers, businesses and young innovators to drive sustainable food production, improve nutrition and build a more resilient food system for Ghana and Africa.