The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Asofra Plus an , NGO operating in the Upper East Region, Ms Aniyinne Finela Asoke, has urged the Government to as a matter of urgency initiate a policy to promote the consumption of Ghanaian indigenous foods.

Speaking to the Ghanaian Times in an interview on Saturday, the CEO stressed that the numerous government interventions in the areas of planting for food and jobs, the District, One Factory and the One Village One Dam policies would only receive major boost when Ghanaians are encouraged to consume the food staples from locally produced in Ghana .

She mentioned some of the locally produced food staples from rice, the early and late millets, Guinea corn, plantain, Cassava among others in Ghana which should be promoted.

She said that the promotion of the eating of Ghanaian indigenous foods would help improve upon the nutritional status of the Ghanaian populace particularly women and children.

Ms Asoke expressed worry about quantum of money being used by the country for the importation of products such as rice and poultry meat and underscored the need for government to adopt pragmatic policies and to work with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and the hotel industries to promote the agenda.

The CEO also appealed to the government to ensure that Ghana Education Service initiate a move to make the tertiary and technical and vocational institutions offering catering courses to inculcate the element of traditional cooking and the Ghanaian indigenous food into their programmes of study.

She stated that a lot the illnesses recorded in Ghana could have been eliminated if Ghanaians are encouraged to consume their own locally produced food.

The CEO who mentioned the School Feeding Programme, Senior High Schools and the prisons among some of the intuitions where the consumption of Ghanaian local dishes could be promoted, said her organization which is registered NGO had trained 40 caterers in preparing local dishes upon request by institutions in the five regions of the north.

She stated that the 40 trained caterers had been screened to be health officials and fit to prepare any local dish in Ghana for any organization and appealed to others organizations to partner with her outfit to help promote the consumption of Ghanaian dishes.