National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme, Hajia Fati Forgor, has commended the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for its work on developing the Food Recognition Assistance and Nudging Insights (FRANI) app to help improve the nutritional quality of meals served under the school feeding programme.
FRANI is a software application being developed by NMIMR to help assess the nutritional content of meals served to schoolchildren using photographs.
As Ghana joined the global community to mark World Food Day on Friday, 16 October 2026, NMIMR hosted a symposium at its premises under the theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow.”
Speaking at the event, Hajia Fati Forgor expressed satisfaction with the FRANI app, describing it as a highly innovative initiative for the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
“When I heard Noguchi Institute was partnering with us to develop a nutrition manual, and then the FRANI app, I saw it as a highly innovative step for Ghana School Feeding Programme. The app allows us to examine meals prepared for students to ensure they provide the essential nutrients children need.”
She further said NMIMR had developed the nutrition manual for the Ghana School Feeding Programme as a precursor to the FRANI app and supported the training of caterers and cooks across the country.
Hajia Fati Forgor added that, with guidance from NMIMR, foods such as spaghetti and noodles have been removed from the approved school feeding menu.
“We discourage caterers from preparing meals that are not part of our indigenous foods. We have warned caterers who served spaghetti or Indomie to children because it is not on our menu.”
“We encourage them to prepare local foods like kontomire, ampesi, rice with palava sauce, and northern dishes like tubani and tuo zaafi,” she said.
She also highlighted the scale of the programme, saying it now covers more schools and children across the country with support from NMIMR and the government grant.
“Today, we feed 13,000 schools and 4.5 million children across the country. People ask, what can the government grant of GHS 2.00 per child do? I tell you, cumulatively, it is huge.”
“With Noguchi’s support, our caterers innovatively turn that little into a hot, nutritious meal for every child,” she said.
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Story by Peter Nyarko | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Vanessa Katrin Ohene
