IDF Africa Chairperson Calls for National Action on Diabetes at 2025 World Diabetes Day Launch

By Eugene Nyarko Jnr. | Freedom Press Center, Accra l November 4, 2025

The Chairperson for the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Africa Region and President of the National Diabetes Association of Ghana (NDAG), Mrs. Elizabeth Esi Denyoh, has called for a unified national effort to combat the rising prevalence of diabetes in Ghana. She made the appeal during her commemorative address at the launch of the 2025 World Diabetes Day celebration, held at the Freedom Press Center in Accra.

This year’s global theme, “Diabetes and Well-being,” she noted, represents a paradigm shift from managing blood glucose levels to ensuring the overall well-being of individuals living with or at risk of diabetes. “It is about the mind, the body, the family, the community, and the very essence of a life lived fully—not just a disease managed,” she emphasized.

Mrs. Denyoh described diabetes as a “silent yet ferocious epidemic” gripping Ghana, with an alarming rise in both diagnosed and undiagnosed cases. She highlighted the human cost of the disease through stories of ordinary Ghanaians—drivers, traders, teenagers, and families—whose lives and livelihoods have been disrupted by diabetes and its complications.

“The condition is not only a driver of poverty and family disruption but also a burden on national productivity and the healthcare system,” she stated.

Calling attention to the multifaceted nature of the 2025 theme, Mrs. Denyoh outlined four key pillars of well-being— physical, mental and emotional, nutritional, and socio-economic—that must guide national interventions. She urged government and stakeholders to ensure universal access to affordable care, integrate psychological support into diabetes management, and re-educate the public on healthy Ghanaian dietary practices.

She also appealed for stronger workplace and school policies to support people living with diabetes, as well as for comprehensive National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) coverage that includes medications, test strips, and educator services.

“To the Government of Ghana,” she said, “declare diabetes a national health priority and allocate commensurate resources. Fully implement and fund the National Diabetes Policy and Strategy, and enforce fiscal measures such as a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to discourage excessive consumption.”

Mrs. Denyoh further called on corporate Ghana to go beyond corporate social responsibility and integrate wellness into business operations, while urging the media to provide sustained, educational coverage to raise awareness and combat stigma.

She concluded with a passionate appeal for collective responsibility: “The blue circle is our universal symbol of unity. Let us leave here not merely as attendees but as soldiers in the army of well-being. Let our collective actions ensure that every Ghanaian living with diabetes can say, ‘I am not defined by my condition—I live a life of dignity, purpose, and complete well-being.’”