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UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

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For every child, the right to Nutrition

Ghana has made significant progress in reducing malnutrition over the past two decades, yet challenges remain in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) nutrition targets. According to the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), 17% of children under five are stunted, 12% are underweight, 6% suffer from wasting, and 14% are overweight. Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly anaemia among women and adolescent girls, remain a challenge.

Ghana is a member of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and has committed to implementing its National Nutrition Policy , the National Health Policy, and relevant strategies under the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (2022–2025). Nutrition interventions in Ghana are delivered through multiple line ministries, including: Ministry of Health (MoH) / Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ministry of Education (MoE) / School Health Education Programme, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP)/ Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Secretariat/ Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) Secretariat, Ministry of Works and Housing and Water Resources (MWHWR), and Ministry of Local Government Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.

Given the cross-sectoral nature of nutrition, budget allocations and expenditures are spread across multiple votes, funding lines, and programmes. In addition, Ghana operates a Programme-Based Budgeting System that aggregates expenditures and offers an opportunity to link nutrition targets to budgetary outputs and outcomes. However, nutrition is not always explicitly identified in programme structures, which limits visibility and tracking, thereby obscuring specific spending details and making it difficult to track small but important categories of expenditure. This has made it difficult to:
• Identify the total magnitude of nutrition spending,
• Assess whether resources are allocated efficiently, equitably, and sustainably,
• track nutrition-specific commodities (such as therapeutic foods, micronutrient supplements, fortified products),
• reporting on actual expenditures, and
• identify donor and off-budget funding

Pursuant to the above, UNICEF Ghana, in collaboration with the NDPC, the lead entity for coordinating nutrition programmes in Ghana, seeks the services of a highly qualified and motivated consultant to undertake a and Security (FNS) budget analysis for 2019–2024 to generate evidence that will inform policy dialogue, resource mobilisation, and advocacy for improved, equitable, and sustained financing for nutrition, in line with Ghana’s commitments under the SUN Movement and national development priorities.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of this consultancy is to generate robust, policy-relevant evidence on the size, composition, equity, efficiency, and sustainability of Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) financing in Ghana over the period 2019 – 2024. The analysis will enable nutrition-relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and partners to advocate for increased, efficient, and equitable investments in nutrition. It will also inform future budget planning, advocacy for budget coding and tagging, donor alignment, and integration of nutrition into sectoral strategies, ensuring coherence across national and sub-national levels.

The key objectives of the assignment are:
• Quantify nutrition budget allocations and expenditures
• Assess trends, equity, and efficiency of nutrition financing
• Identify gaps and opportunities for increased and sustained investment
• Identify bottlenecks in sector-specific Public Financial Management (PFM) structures, especially budget documents
• Provide actionable recommendations for policy, planning, budget, and advocacy

Scope of Work
The consultant will conduct a comprehensive analysis of Ghana’s nutrition budget for 2019–2024, aligned with the SUN Movement methodology, covering:
1. Nutrition Context – Review national commitments, policies, strategies, institutional frameworks and MDA plans; examine the placement and structure of nutrition within the PBB framework; and assess alignment with key nutrition indicators.
2. Size and Trends in Spending – Analyse total nutrition allocations and expenditures in nominal/real terms, per capita, as % of GDP and total spending, and benchmark against peer countries.
3. Composition of Spending – Disaggregate by SUN framework, (nutrition specific, nutrition sensitive and nutrition-friendly), sector (Health and Nutrition, Food and Agriculture, Education, Social Protection, Water, sanitation and hygiene), age group, implementing institution, economic classification, and specific expenditure on nutrition commodities.
4. Financing Sources – Assess domestic, external, and other sources of funding, sustainability risks, and financing options.
5. Budget Credibility and Execution – Evaluate alignment of approved budgets with actual spending and identify execution bottlenecks and possible solutions.
6. Equity Analysis – Assess geographic and socio-economic distribution of nutrition spending.
7. Strategic Recommendations – Identify budget process entry points, high-impact underfunded interventions, financing strategies, and advocacy messages for policy influence.

To achieve the above objectives, the consultant will:
• Apply SUN budget analysis methodology to identify, classify, and quantify nutrition-specific, nutrition-sensitive and nutrition friendly expenditures, including actual spending on nutrition commodities and evaluate its adequateness.
• Conduct at least ten key informant interviews with MoF, MoH, MoFA, MoE, MoGCSP, MSWR, NDPC, and key donors to identify nutrition programmes in the budget and sector priorities.
• Review national budgets, appropriation acts, expenditure reports, and development partner financing data.
• Adjust figures for inflation to present real-term spending.
• Validate findings in a multi-stakeholder workshop 

Expected Deliverables

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Masters degree in economics, public finance, nutrition, public health, or related field.
• Work Experience: At least 7years of relevant work experience in budget analysis, PFM, or nutrition financing. 
• Skills Familiarity with Ghana’s PFM and PBB systems, Experience applying SUN Movement budget methodology, Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English (both spoken and written) is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.