Stop Eating Banku, Big Fufu At Night – John Mahama Warns Ghanaians

President John Dramani Mahama has jokingly but firmly cautioned Ghanaians against eating heavy late-night meals like banku and fufu, warning that such habits combined with sedentary modern lifestyles are driving a surge in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the country.

Speaking at the launch of the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative at the Shai Osudoku District Hospital on Wednesday, April 15, the President drew laughter when he urged the public to stop demanding banku at 10 p.m.

“Please, by 7 p.m., eat your dinner and don’t eat again. If you are hungry, just take some cup of tea or something. Don’t eat any heavy food,” Mahama said, adding: “You come from work in the evening, your poor wife is tired, and you force her to make banku for you at 10 o’clock at night: why?”

The President noted that while previous generations ate similar foods, they remained healthier because their diets were matched with physically demanding work like farming. Today, he observed, many Ghanaians sit behind desks all day, drive to and from work, and still demand large bowls of heavy food without any meaningful exercise.

“What physical activity did you do to deserve banku?” President Mahama asked jokeingly

Mahama linked the rising burden of hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, and even breast and cervical cancers directly to poor diet and inactivity.

He said the new Free Primary Healthcare Programme will focus heavily on preventive education — teaching citizens how lifestyle changes can reduce their risk of NCDs, which he described as “the heaviest disease burden in Ghana.”

The initiative, which will roll out across 150 districts, aims to shift the health system from treatment to prevention, offering free screenings and basic care at CHPS compounds without replacing the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The President also announced plans to deploy national service personnel and trained but unposted nurses as health volunteers, with priority for future postings.

“Stop eating banku at night,” Mahama repeated to applause. “Change your lifestyle — your health depends on it.”