The World Food Forum (WFF) Ghana Chapter and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology, at a consultative engagement at the Parliament House of Ghana on August 17, 2026, agreed to take major steps to strengthen youth recommendations and inclusion in the development of policies.
During the engagement with representatives of the WFF Ghana Chapter, the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology and Member of Parliament for Manso Adubea, Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, gave an overview of the committee’s functions, highlighting its role in Ghana’s environment, science and technology sectors.
He highlighted the importance of stronger collaboration between young people and policymakers, noting that consultations and engagements of this nature could empower and strengthen the youth’s role in securing the future of food systems.
The Select Committee Chair also urged the WFF Ghana Chapter to initiate and co-lead consultation sessions with other Select Committees, including the Parliamentary Select Committees on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Agribusiness, Trade and Industry, and the Public Affair Unit, from October to December 2026.
According to the Select Committee Chair, these consultations will strengthen young people’s understanding of the work of policymakers and support youth-led networks such as the WFF to become better informed, manage expectations and contribute meaningfully to policy development.
He pledged his committee’s support for the WFF Ghana Chapter, committing to facilitate engagements with the Select Committees and to help promote greater youth inclusion and dialogue with policymakers in Ghana’s Parliament.
He commended the WFF Ghana Chapter for making efforts to engage his committee and emphasized the important role the initial dialogue could play in opening the door for further consultations with young people in Ghana.
“You are pacesetters for youth-policy inclusive dialogue and have demonstrated that the future is indeed for the young. I commend you for taking this bold step to initiate this dialogue with Parliament,” the Select Committee Chair on Environment, Science and Technology, Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, said.
On her part, the National Lead of the WFF Ghana Chapter, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, who spoke on behalf of the WFF representatives present, explained the genesis of the WFF youth-led network.
She indicated that the World Food Forum Global Youth Action, established in 2021, is FAO’s independent youth-led movement aimed at empowering young people to transform agrifood systems.
She highlighted that the WFF, with more than 62 global youth chapters, operates under three strategic pillars: youth action, science and innovation, and investment in youth.
She explained that beyond the FAO annual flagship event in Rome, which brings more than 1,200 young people from across the globe together, the WFF Global Youth Action continuously supports youth through thematic programmes, including the Youth Assembly, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Education, Culture and Local Youth Actions, to encourage young people to take action and contribute to food systems in their respective countries.
The National Chapter Lead also highlighted some of the science and innovation activities the WFF is driving globally, including the Science and Innovation Forum, innovation competitions, environmental and climate action, and the Young Scientist Group, among others.
She emphasized how the WFF places youth at the heart of science, agribusiness, technology and environmental initiatives, providing a strong platform for young people, particularly through training, capacity building, masterclasses and funding opportunities, to enable them to contribute meaningfully.
The Chapter Lead also highlighted how Africa youth participation in the 34th session in Mauritania had further equipped young people to position themselves to take action and support grow a better food future.
She said, in Ghana, the World Food Forum Ghana Chapter, is represented across all sixteen(16) regions, with Regional Focal Representatives, taking bold actions and steps to reduce the growth of rural push and urban pull ideologies, by initiating and implementing agri-youth and climate smart centred-activities.
She also mentioned the role of the different working groups within the World Food Forum Ghana Chapter, some of whom are actively engaged in sector focused activities on Fisheries, aquaculture, Environment, innovations, Forestry, Nutrition and Research, to contribute to driving and advocating for best practices, sustainability and safer food future.
Aaron Awunyo, a WFF Working Group Member on Environment, Science and Innovation, thanked the Select Committee Chair for hosting the Chapter even during the parliamentary recess. Patrice Robertson, the Volta Regional Focal Representative also expressed her profound gratitude to the Select Committee’s secretariat and pledged to brief Volta Regional members on the engagement and how it would shape their WFF chapter activities in the Volta Region.
Ruth Elikplim Hoppey of the Research working group, also thanked the Select Committee Chair for the knowledge he shared and the innovations he has highlighted, which will go a long way, to shape the growth of the World Food Forum Ghana Chapter.
Lourraine Sena Doh of the Fisheries and Aquaculture working group, commended the Parliamentary Select Committee Chair and expressed how inspired she is by this engagement and how motivated she has instantly become, in supporting to work towards driving attention and growing more members for the WFF Ghana Chapter.
Among the actions and outcomes of the meeting is an agreement to continue youth-policy engagement with other relevant Select Committees in Ghana’s Parliament, beginning in October 2026.
Another notable action is a statement to be read on the floor of Ghana’s Parliament on the WFF Ghana Chapter’s youth-inclusivity agenda as part of the International Youth Day celebration, with the aim of drawing members’ attention to the issue and working towards achieving this goal.
A joint Youth-Parliament policy focused forum to be initiated and organized annually.
With these actionable steps, the Select Committee Chair assured the WFF Ghana Chapter that he would work closely with the Chapter and relevant interconnected parliamentary committees, ministries and state institutions to strengthen youth participation, including through legislative instruments.
ABOUT THE WORLD FOOD FORUM
The World Food Forum (WFF) is a flagship event by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which serves as a global platform that drives action to transform agrifood systems through the power of youth, science and innovation, and investment. Bringing together all stakeholders, it serves as a dynamic space for turning ideas into actions, scaling solutions and forging synergistic partnerships. By uniting diverse voices and fostering cross-sectoral and intergenerational collaboration, it accelerates progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, driving action at global, regional and local levels.
The World Food Forum Ghana Chapter was established in Ghana and is a youth-led platform focused on using the energy, ideas and innovation of young Ghanaians to contribute to the transformation of Ghana’s Agrifood systems. The WFF equips young people with the knowledge, networks and opportunities needed to contribute meaningfully to food security, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture and rural development.
Guided by this global vision, the World Food Forum Ghana works to amplify youth voices within Ghana’s Agrifood systems by creating platforms that connect young people with policymakers, development institutions, academia, the private sector and industry leaders. The World Food Forum Ghana also promotes youth leadership, policy participation, innovation and collaboration while ensuring that young people are not only beneficiaries of agricultural development but active contributors to shaping the future of Ghana’s food systems.
ABOUT THE PARLIAMENTARY SELECT COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The Committee on Environment, Science and Technology, consisting of a Chairperson, Ranking Member, Vice Chairperson, Deputy Ranking Member, and up to thirteen additional Members, oversees matters related to the environment, science, technology, and associated research and development. The Committee’s jurisdiction encompasses investigating and inquiring into the activities and administration of relevant ministries, departments, and agencies, including the examination of legislative proposals within its mandate.
The Committee provides parliamentary oversight over Ghana’s environmental, scientific and technological governance.
It is therefore concerned with issues such as:
- Environmental protection and pollution
- Climate change
- Waste management and sanitation
- Mining and environmental degradation
- E-waste
- Forests, biodiversity and natural resources
- Science, research and innovation
- Technology and its application to national development
- Environmental legislation and regulation
