JAHE

EN | 日本語

Improving Child Nutrition in Ghana  through Public-Private Partnership with Koko plus™

Country

Japanese Partner

This initiative began in 2009 with the local production and distribution of Koko plus™, a powdered nutritional supplement developed to enrich traditional complementary foods in Ghana with nutrients that are often lacking.
Since then, the program has worked closely with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), combining nutrition education with efforts to expand access to and use of Koko plus™.
In 2025, the target age range was expanded from infants aged six months and above to children up to 10 years old. Building on its long-standing partnership with GHS, the initiative is now also strengthening collaboration with the education sector, including the Ministry of Education, with a view to using school meals and school-based nutrition education as additional channels for support.
The aim is to build a sustainable model that provides continuous nutrition support throughout a child’s development, from infancy through the primary school years.

Challenge

Addressing Different Learning Levels in the Same Classroom

When the initiative began in 2009, approximately 25% of two-year-old children in Ghana were affected by stunting, meaning they were significantly shorter than expected for their age.

One of the contributing factors was the nutritional quality of commonly consumed complementary foods. While these foods could provide sufficient energy, mainly from carbohydrates, they often lacked enough protein, vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients needed for healthy growth and development.

Schools were looking for a practical approach that could support students at different learning levels without requiring a complete redesign of the existing curriculum or school timetable.

Approach

Creating a “Nutrition Relay” from Infancy to School Age

The initiative initially focused on infants and young children by developing Koko plus™, a nutritional supplement that can be easily mixed into complementary foods to provide amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other essential micronutrients.

The program has supported both local production and wider access to Koko plus™ across Ghana.

Because Koko plus™ can also provide key nutrients needed by school-age children, including iron, vitamins, and amino acids, the target age range was extended to 10 years old in 2025.

Implementation

Combining Nutrition Education with Behavior Change

At maternal and child health check-ups provided through Ghana Health Service facilities, GHS nurses offer nutrition education to mothers and caregivers.

They explain how adding a nutritional supplement to complementary foods can help improve the nutritional balance of a child’s diet in a simple and practical way

Rather than relying on free distribution, the model is designed to help caregivers understand the value of better nutrition and choose to purchase Koko plus™ themselves. Mothers and caregivers who receive nutrition education can buy the product in local markets, use it at home, and continue purchasing it if they find it useful.

To support this market-based approach, The Ajinomoto Foundation works with local NGOs in Ghana and supports nationwide sales and distribution. Sales representatives visit communities across the country to promote awareness of Koko plus™ and improve access to the product.

The initiative is now extending this approach into the education sector. Plans include introducing Koko plus™ through school meal programs, creating a more continuous pathway of nutrition support from infancy through the school years.

Results

12,694 Retail Outlets and 7.5 Million Servings Annually

By the end of fiscal year 2025, Koko plus™ was available through 12,694 retail outlets across Ghana, covering approximately 80% of the country.

Annual distribution had also grown to approximately 7.5 million servings.

months

Retail Outlets

Million Serving

Lessons

Encouraging Voluntary Purchase and Continued Use

Koko plus™ is not designed as a short-term intervention based on free product distribution.

Instead, the model combines nutrition education delivered through local health facilities and nurses with voluntary purchase through the market.

By helping caregivers understand why better nutrition matters, the initiative encourages them to make informed choices, purchase Koko plus™ themselves, and continue using it as part of their children’s diets.

This combination of education, behavior change, and market-based distribution has helped create a more sustainable social business model.

Today, the approach has reached a scale of approximately 7.5 million servings per year.

What’s next

From Health Facilities to Schools, and from Infancy to School Age

The next phase will extend the nutrition support model developed for infants and young children into the school-age years.

The initiative plans to deepen collaboration with the Ministry of Education and related organizations, combining school-based nutrition education with the introduction of Koko plus™ into school meal programs.

By linking health-sector interventions with school-based nutrition support, the initiative aims to establish a sustainable model that supports children continuously from infancy through primary school.

JAHE welcomes collaboration with governments, international organizations, foundations, and education and health partners interested in exploring how this type of cross-sector nutrition model, bringing together government, health, education, and the private sector, could be adapted to other countries and contexts.

School Lunch Scene

Candidate Partners

JAHE welcomes collaboration with governments, Ministries of Education, international organizations, foundations, universities, and local education partners interested in pilot implementation, joint research, teacher development, or wider-scale adoption.

Government / Ministry of Education

International Organization

Foundation / Development Partner

University / Research Institution

Local Education Partner

Interested in exploring this approach in your country? Contact JAHE.

Working in education, in Japan or beyond?

JAHE works with overseas governments and ministries of education, international organisations, educational institutions and companies — and with Japanese organisations seeking international partners.

Improving Child Nutrition in Ghana through Public-Private Partnership with Koko plus™