A new study by the Ghana Health Service projects savings of 1.7 billion GHC (US$890 million) through investing in nutrition programs to correct deficiencies in iodine, iodine and to prevent stunted growth, the Ghana News Agency reports. Included are projected savings of 433 million GHC (US$229 million) to correct IDD.

Conversely, Ghana would suffer a loss of 7.9 billion GHC (US$4.2 billion) should efforts to curb malnutrition fail.

"Madam Esi Amoaful, Deputy Chief Nutrition Officer of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) disclosed this in Tamale on Thursday during a day’s media workshop to sensitize media practitioners from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions on the consequences of malnutrition in the country....

"Madam Amoaful said 12,000 children die annually in Ghana because they were underweight due to poor nutrition, stressing that, 97,000 children under five years of age will die for the period 2011 to 2020 for stunted growth.

"She said malnutrition was the major cause of death for children under five and pregnant and lactating mothers, stressing that, GHc1.5 million children will be affected by mild to severe irreversible brain damage due to iodine deficiencies."