Fonio, baobab and Bambara beans take the world stage: Ghana's food heritage champions win global honours

Some of West Africa's oldest ingredients — fonio, Bambara beans, sorghum, baobab and moringa — have been slipping out of everyday cooking. The Ghana Food Movement, a youth-led organisation under managing director Abdallah Smith, has spent years pushing them back onto the plate. Now the group has been named a Champions of Change honouree for 2026 by the World's 50 Best Restaurants organisation, sponsored by illycaffè, recognising work that moves food toward sustainability and fairness. The honour will be presented in Lima, Peru, on 4 November. At home, the movement's Ghana Plate Project already brings indigenous ingredients into school meals at four schools, reaching about 400 pupils — heritage you can eat, served at lunchtime.

SDG 2 · Zero hunger — Mechanism: community action