President John Dramani Mahama has used humour to caution Ghanaians about late-night eating habits, urging a shift towards healthier lifestyles.
Speaking at the launch of the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative on Wednesday, April 15, he linked the rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to modern routines marked by limited physical activity and changing diets.
Drawing on a relatable daily routine, he described how long work hours often end with heavy meals late in the evening—something he warned could take a toll on people’s health.
“Stop eating banku at night,” he said jokingly, sparking laughter among the audience, before recommending earlier dinner times.
“If you are the kind of person who likes eating heavy foods, you are not physically active, you are sitting at one place, and yet when they give you your fufu or banku, you say it’s too small. You want a big bowl of fufu, and you want to eat it every day.
“Sometimes you eat it at night before you go to sleep. Please, by 7 PM, eat your dinner and don’t eat again. If you are hungry, just pick a cup of tea or something. Don’t eat any heavy food. You come from work in the evening, your wife is tired, but you force her to come and get you banku at 10 PM, why?” he quizzed.
The President also contrasted current lifestyles with those of earlier generations, noting that while similar meals were consumed in the past, they were balanced with more physically demanding activities.
“Our fathers used to eat banku and co in the night, but they were physically active; they used to go to the farm and expended energy. Now we don’t do any physical activity. You wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, drive to work, sit behind the desk from 8 am to 5 pm, drive back home, and when you come home, you ask for your banku. What physical activity did you do to deserve banku?” he added.
His remarks formed part of a wider push under the initiative, which places strong emphasis on public awareness and preventive care in tackling the growing burden of lifestyle-related illnesses.
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