One in Five Ghanaians Has Elevated Blood Pressure — Health Ministry

The Ministry of Health has disclosed that one in every five Ghanaians has elevated blood pressure, as the country continues to face a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Data from the Ministry showed that reported hypertension cases increased from 549,527 in 2023 to 583,720 in 2024 before declining slightly to 577,374 in 2025.

The figures, the Ministry said, underscore the continued prevalence of hypertension and the need for stronger preventive measures to reduce the health and economic consequences associated with the condition.

The findings are further supported by a 2023 national survey, which found that 20 per cent of the population had elevated blood pressure, with women recording a higher prevalence than men.

Speaking at a stakeholder dialogue on low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) in Accra, Acting Head of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr Mavis Sakyi, said the prevalence of hypertension required urgent attention through healthier lifestyles and preventive healthcare.

“At least 20 per cent of people had elevated blood pressure, so if you take five people, you will get one person who has high blood pressure, and among this population, we saw that there were more women who had high blood pressure,” she said.

Dr Sakyi urged Ghanaians to adopt healthier diets, undergo regular health checks and engage in physical activity to reduce their risk of hypertension and other NCDs.

She identified unhealthy diets, excessive consumption of salt and sugar, alcohol use, tobacco use, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity as some of the major drivers of NCDs in Ghana.

According to her, changing lifestyles and food environments have increased people’s exposure to these risk factors.

She also expressed concern about the low consumption of fruits and vegetables, noting that a national survey found that Ghanaians consumed fruits on average only two days a week.

Hypertension remains a major public health concern because poorly controlled blood pressure can contribute to serious complications, including stroke, heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Dr Sakyi said reducing the prevalence of NCDs therefore required a comprehensive approach that addressed both individual behaviours and the wider food environment.

The stakeholder dialogue also focused on the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners and their potential role in supporting healthier diets.

Dr Sakyi said Ghana should not rely solely on international guidelines when determining acceptable intake levels for sweeteners.

She called for consideration of Ghana’s dietary patterns, product composition, consumer behaviour, existing standards and available scientific evidence.

According to her, a context-specific approach would allow Ghana to establish appropriate limits while ensuring that food policies remained evidence-based and consistent with national efforts to reduce NCDs.

The roundtable, organised by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in partnership with the International Sweeteners Association (ISA), brought together government institutions, health professionals, consumer groups and representatives of the food and beverage industry.

Participants examined scientific evidence on the safety and efficacy of low- and no-calorie sweeteners and discussed their potential role in healthier diets.

President of the AGI, Kofi Nsiah-Poku, warned that the rising burden of NCDs and obesity could impose significant economic costs on households, businesses and the wider economy.

He said increased healthcare expenditure, reduced labour force participation and lower productivity could undermine economic growth.

Mr Nsiah-Poku, who is also the Chief Executive of Kinapharma, said NCDs should therefore be treated not only as a public health issue but also as an economic and development priority.

“A healthy population is fundamental to industrial growth,” he said.

Director-General of the ISA, Laurent Oger, also called for science and credible evidence to play a central role in shaping public health policies.

He said the level of stakeholder engagement on low- and no-calorie sweeteners was encouraging and urged policymakers to continue basing nutrition and food policies on robust scientific evidence.

“Around the world, these ingredients have been extensively evaluated by food safety authorities, and nutrition and food policy discussions must continue to be guided by robust scientific evidence,” Mr Oger said.

Click the link Puretvonline.com | WhatsApp Channel to join the WhatsApp channel

Contact/WhatsApp: +233243201960 or manuelnkansah33@gmail.com