The Acting Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, Wakefield Akuaku, has urged Ghanaians to return to indigenous foods to promote healthy living, preserve the country’s cultural heritage and reduce healthcare expenditure.

According to him, the increasing consumption of imported and highly processed foods is contributing to a rise in lifestyle-related and other unexplained illnesses in the country.

Mr Akuaku made the call at the launch of the FasTrade Culture and Food Festival, an initiative aimed at promoting Ghanaian indigenous foods, culture and entrepreneurship while creating economic opportunities for young people.

The FasTrade Culture and Food Festival forms part of activities marking the Ningo Prampram Homowo celebration and runs from 14 to 30 August.

Mr Akuaku stressed that traditional Ghanaian foods are rich in nutrients and have traditionally formed an important part of the country's food culture, adding that a conscious return to such foods could help improve the health and wellbeing of the population.

"If we forget our culture then we're lost because it is our food that makes a lot of people know about us. The foreigners they also have foods in their country so when they here (Ghana) we have to show them our own. Now when you go to other places like our schools we don't normally train us with our foods.

"So I plead that, even though a lot of people are saying our local food takes yes it takes time but we need to preserve it, we need to promote it, see a food like "Mpɔtɔpɔtɔ" we normally eat it again and you don't understand. Where I come from we eat "Abeteɛ" with pepper and crub.

"And is a big thing for us so we should be careful of the foods we eat. When you look at the olden days, there were no hospitals but our fathers and Great grandfathers were living healthy because what they were eating didn't have any artificial preservatives, is natural, is organic but now they've package it and they've written no preservatives, my brother how do you preserve that has been sealed, is a precessed food so let's go back to our local foods and that makes us Ghanaians," Mr Akuaku urged.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FasTrade Culture and Food Festival, Hajia Fatima Abeka, highlighted the significance of the initiative and its potential to promote indigenous Ghanaian products while supporting local businesses and young entrepreneurs.

"Our focus is on our local foods, we want to teach them the foods our Great fathers used to eat that made them live healthy, the foods that did not give them sickness while all these foods have faded from the system and this is what we want showcase for our youths to embrace what our Great fathers used to eat to live long.

"Since we're Ghanaians, or Africans we have to eat what we plants in our country because when you local foods that will make you look healthy. What the Western World have done gives a lot of sickness even though not all are not good but what I can say is that what we've planted here we have to bring it back," she said.

However, a representative of the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mr Felix Yao Ajavor, urged residents of Ningo Prampram to take ownership of the festival and transform it into a sustainable platform for community development.

He added that the event could provide opportunities for residents, particularly the youth, to benefit economically from the promotion of their culture and local resources.

"Today it's more than the loss of a festival; it is a reminder that what we have in our communities has values. Our food, culture, creativity, and tradition, and our people, have values. Let us, therefore, celebrate them, protect them, and turn them into opportunities for development.

"To the organizers: I say well done, and keep going. To the people of Ningo Prampram: I say this year, this is your festival. Only let them make it successful. To our young people, I say come forward, participate, and turn your talents into opportunities. And to our visitors, I say come, eat Ghana, experience Ghana, celebrate Ghana, and take a piece of Ghana back with you.

"On behalf of the Honorable Minister, Mamanga Abla Gomashie, Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, I wish the first rage cultural and food festival 2026 a successful launch and a memorable 16-day celebration. May this festival bring greater visibility to Ningo Prampram, great opportunities for our people, promote Ghanaian culture, and contribute to local economic.

"The festival organisers expect the 16-day event to boost local enterprise, showcase Ghanaian heritage and create income-generating opportunities for young entrepreneurs," he added.