The rise of Ghana’s plant-based food movement
A growing number of Ghanaian chefs, nutritionists and entrepreneurs are reimagining traditional cuisine without meat, creating a plant-based food scene with authentic West African roots.
When chef Yvonne Fofie opened The Green Pot in Osu two years ago, she wasn’t sure Accra was ready for a fully plant-based restaurant rooted in Ghanaian cuisine. The waitlist that formed within a week of opening told a different story.nn”I’m not trying to replace jollof rice or kontomire stew,” says Fofie, arranging a plate of mushroom suya with toasted coconut and charred plantain. “I’m finding the parts of our food culture that were already plant-based and amplifying them.”nnGhana’s relationship with plant-forward eating is older than its current fashionability suggests. The yam, the plantain, the groundnut, the cocoyam, the garden egg — these formed the backbone of everyday eating for most people long before meat became a daily expectation. What is new is a generation of food professionals consciously choosing to centre these ingredients.nnNutritionist Dr Charity Asante, who runs a food wellness practice in East Legon, says she has seen a sharp rise in clients asking about plant-based eating — particularly younger professionals concerned about non-communicable diseases and environmental impact. “The cardiovascular disease burden in Ghana is rising fast. Dietary change is one of the most powerful tools we have,” she says.nnThe movement has also attracted entrepreneurs. Lante Foods, a Kumasi-based company, now produces plant-based kontomire sauce and palm nut extract for supermarkets across three cities. Its founder, Emmanuel Lante, says monthly sales have grown from 800 to 14,000 jars in eighteen months.nnTraditional markets are slowly adapting too. At Osu Food Market on Saturdays, vendors now set aside dedicated sections for what they call “health food” — though the kelewele woman nearby points out that her plantain fritters have been plant-based for thirty-five years.
