Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development Ghana (VAST Ghana), in collaboration with the Addressing the Commercial Determinants of Health in Sub-Saharan Africa (ACORDS) project, has launched a crowdsourcing initiative to document how corporate activities influence public health and policy decisions in Ghana.
The initiative comes amid calls for stronger regulation of industries promoting tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and other products associated with health risks.
Researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Arti Singh and Dr Daniel Boateng, said the influence of commercial actors extended beyond the products they sell to advertising, political lobbying, sponsorships and attempts to shape scientific research and government regulations.
They warned that such practices could weaken public health interventions and undermine efforts to protect consumers.
Executive Director of VAST Ghana, Labram Musah, said unhealthy commercial environments disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, particularly low-income urban communities with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.
He argued that addressing obesity and other diet-related non-communicable diseases required government action to tackle the conditions shaping people’s consumption choices, rather than placing the responsibility solely on individuals.
Mr Musah also raised concerns about alcohol sponsorship in Ghanaian sports, citing a proposed Guinness Ghana sponsorship arrangement reportedly valued at more than US$5 million annually.
Representing the World Health Organization (WHO) Ghana Country Office, Dr Nortey called for stronger efforts to translate existing public health research into enforceable policies.
He noted that Ghana had generated considerable evidence through studies such as the National STEPS Survey but cautioned against industry resistance to public health regulations and reliance on voluntary standards where enforceable measures might be necessary.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of the Strategy and Revenue Department of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Mr Kombat, encouraged researchers to share findings with the authority, particularly recommendations on health taxes, to inform improvements in excise tax policies and legislation.
Under the crowdsourcing initiative, civil society organisations and community participants will be encouraged to submit photographs, written observations and other digital evidence of commercial activities affecting health.
These will include unhealthy food advertising, alcohol promotions, misleading product claims, corporate sponsorships and environmental pollution.
The research team will review and verify the submissions before analysing them to identify patterns, regulatory gaps and opportunities for policy intervention.
The exercise is expected to run for approximately 10 to 14 weeks, with evidence gathered from different communities and geographical locations across Ghana.
The ACORDS project is a multi-country research initiative involving partners in Ghana, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Kenya. It seeks to examine how commercial activities influence health outcomes and generate evidence to support policies that protect populations.
The collaboration between VAST Ghana and ACORDS is expected to strengthen civil society participation in public health advocacy and provide policymakers with evidence to address commercial practices contributing to preventable diseases and health inequalities.
