A reflection on Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr’s essay: Hunger, poverty, appetite and the recurrent self-destruction tendencies in Ghana

In Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr.'s essay "Hunger, Poverty, Appetite and the Recurrent Self-Destruct Tendencies in Ghana: Toward Freedom and Justice for All in Equitable Development", the author takes a critical look at the current development debate in Ghana, which is dominated by figures, GDP growth rates and partisan point-scoring. Bomfeh emphasizes the need to focus on the moral foundations of the state.

His essay comes at a time when Ghana Statistical Service data for Q3 2025 reveals that 12.5 million Ghanaians, or 38.1% of the population, are food insecure, and 227,519 citizens are experiencing a triple burden of food insecurity, multidimensional poverty and unemployment. Bomfeh appreciates the author for naming the problem in a language that Ghanaians can understand, rather than hiding behind jargon.

The core argument presented by Bomfeh is both elegant and chilling. He posits that the two main issues in Ghana are not beyond control: poverty is a lack of means, knowledge and capability, while hunger is the desire for food, and when it is not satisfied, it becomes a dangerous condition called appetite. Appétit, as defined by Bomfeh, is hunger magnified by the memory of poverty, leading to desperate desires to satisfy the lack of food at all costs, even if it means others go without.

This unbridled appetite results in the justification for unbridled acquisition of power and wealth, as well as dominance.

A powerful moral illustration in Bomfeh's essay is the comparison of thieves, where there can be honor in stealing from anyone but a fellow thief. He argues that Ghana has abandoned even this basic code of survival and is now robbing its own company, Ghana.

Bomfeh's essay is directly related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on poverty and hunger. SDG 1 aims to end poverty in all its forms, while SDG 2 focuses on ending hunger and achieving food security. Bomfeh adds texture to the aim of SDG 1 by stressing that poverty is not just a lack of income, but also lack of means and brainpower.

His data shows that 50% of household heads without formal education are food insecure, compared to 15% with tertiary education. This highlights the need for economic land security, irrigation, storage, and market information to achieve equal rights to resources and capacity building.

The essay also connects to human security, which is defined by the freedom from fear and freedom from want. The freedom from want is exemplified by the farmer in Upper West who cannot store his tomatoes and the mother who does not know where her next meal will come from. Appétit, or the unbridled desire for power and wealth, is the killer of freedom from fear.

Bomfeh calls for freedom and justice as a compass to ensure human security, which involves freedom to live without want and freedom from fear of those who hoard resources.