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Dr Stella Agyemang Duah, a Research Scientist at the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission and her team has partnered with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to mark this year's Food Wastage Day.

This is the first time Ghana is holding such an event. Since 2017, USA through Compass Group Holdings, one of its global food service leaders found it necessary to mark this day to accelerate the awareness campaign against food wastage.

Through these advocacy, USA has saved about 40% of food that go waste.

Speaking on the theme "Educating and igniting change in the Ghanaian for National Development", she explained that "We've adopted it and will continue to remind every Ghanaian to be intentional about reducing food waste.

It is attitudinal, everyone must be encouraged to be positively involved in cutting down waste.

She added that they are checking wastage at the farmers level as well. The target of sustainable development goal 12 count postharvest losses and we are ready to secure losses along the production and supply chains as well.

We will channel them into compost to reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers. These inorganic fertilizers have prolonged health issues on consumer. Even farmers are at risk spraying these fertilizers.

At the policy level, we will encourage the Government to consider SDG 12 targets and indicators, implement and monitor them. At any point, we are available to assist the ministries or government to achieve this goal by 2030. Aside attitudinal, solving food waste is political. Everyone must be involved.

She further stated that unavoidable waste can be channeled into organic fertilizers or compost. She also appealed to waste management companies to come on board to design robust bin segregation materials which can ease the effect of carbon emissions on our landfill sites and promote a clean Ghana.

The day was also commemorated with stakeholders engagement at KMA conference room where recommendations and suggestions were made to foodservices and vendors, university students from various institutions in Ashanti region, waste management team at the Assembly and the general public on food waste.

They proceeded to the Bantama and Racecourse markets to sensitize and educate the market women on how to reduce food waste at their level. The stop food wastage day is the first time of it kind in Ghana and was very successful.

Dr. Stella Agyemang Duah who is a Research Scientist at Ghana Atomic Energy Commission encouraged all stakeholders at these levels to be conscious on reducing food waste.

The team had earlier engaged the media in Greater Accra region on findings on the situation of food waste in Ghana.

The next phase of the project is expected to be in the Eastern Region.