Scale Up Support Services for Mothers and Families to Enhance Their Ability to Feed Their Babies and Young Children - Prof. Richmond Nii Okai Aryeetey
Prof. Richmond Nii Okai Aryeetey, Head of the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, has urged the government, organisations, and families to support efforts to enhance breastfeeding and child-feeding practices in Ghana during his inaugural lecture on the topic: “Child Feeding for Human Health and Development: Bridging the Know-Do Gap.”
In delivering the lecture, Prof. Aryeetey demonstrated strong evidence that breastfeeding and the provision of nutritious diets for infants and young children have societal benefits that go beyond the mother and infant/child to human health and development.
He suggested that establishing breast milk banks in health facilities would provide safe alternatives for mothers unable to produce milk. He also advocated for breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, urging the creation of supportive policies for staff.
Based on the implementation of science pathways that can be used to bridge the know-do gap, the Lecturer called for all relevant government agencies to prioritize breastfeeding as a key strategy for improving child nutritional health.
According to Prof. Aryeetey, this can be achieved by defining and setting aside a proportion of their annual service budgetary allocation for promoting child feeding and by catalysing opportunities for affordable access to healthier foods, as an approach to eating healthier diets.
In her closing remarks, the Vice-Chancellor and Chairperson of the occasion, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, commended and congratulated Prof. Aryeetey for his stellar contributions to improving child health through his research and wished him success as he seeks to venture into youth empowerment in agrifood systems and nutrition.
She enumerated the mother-child support policies implemented by the University and encouraged new and existing units of the University to set up baby bays to support breastfeeding staff and students, as the UGBS and School of Law have done in the ongoing construction of their new facilities.
Prior to the lecture, the Registrar, Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah, welcomed all present and said, “Inaugural lectures form an essential component of the University’s programme for an academic year and every academic who rises to the rank of a professor in his or her career in the University of Ghana is expected to deliver an inaugural lecture”.
Mrs. Agyei-Mensah added that inaugural lectures offer the University an opportunity to recognise and showcase the achievements of faculty as they share their research with colleagues within and outside the University.
The Ghana Dance Ensemble and the Legon Interdenominational Church (LIC) Choir graced the occasion with cultural performances and choral music as well as seperewa appellation to herald the Lecturer.
Several presentations by the College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Food Science and others were made to Prof. Richmond Nii Okai Aryeetey to congratulate him on his achievement.
As a prelude to Prof. Aryeetey’s inaugural lecture, a week-long exhibition of his scholarly works was held at the Balme Library. His research has focused on food systems, health and Nutrition of school age children, Food security, Food and Nutrition Policy, Physical Activity and Evidence-informed Decision Making, among others.
In attendance were Emeritus Prof. Ivan Addae- Mensah, former Vice-Chancellor; Emeritus Prof. Clifford Nii-Boi Tagoe, former Vice-Chancellor; Prof. John Owusu Gyapong, Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development; Prof. Fred Binka, former Vice-Chancellor, UHAS and former Dean, School of Public Health (SPH) and Mrs. Mercy Haizel-Ashia, former Registrar.
Also present were Prof. Richard Adanu, Rector, Physicians and Surgeons College and former Dean, SPH; Dr. Paul Henry Dsane-Aidoo, Health Specialist, UNICEF and representatives from World Health Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Food and Drugs Authority and Ghana Education Service.
The lecture was also attended by members of the University community, the media fraternity and the general public. There was also an online audience on the University’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Please click here for a replay of the lecture