In office since January, the president ticked off his achievements: plans to chip away at the nation’s debt load, to increase tax revenue, to cut waste, to beat back corruption and to spur the economy. He is in the midst of fulfilling a campaign promise to build a factory in each of the nation’s 216 districts. He has begun cracking down on illegal gold mining, which is robbing the country of revenue from one of its key natural resources.

Of course, he said, he’s worried about skyrocketing obesity and related diseases. Like many of his countrymen, the round-faced president himself is overweight. He said he’s also concerned about the increase in fast food restaurants that fuel the trends but said: “I’m strongly averse to banning things.”

It’s a quandary faced in numerous nations, from India and Brazil to China and Egypt: how to invite economic growth and move beyond scarcity, support growing populations and urbanization, all without being overtaken by two of modernity’s chief markers, processed and fast food. So far, not a single nation has been able to reverse the growth of obesity, and only a handful have succeeded in enforcing marketing reforms to limit consumer exposure.

President Akufo-Addo said he hoped to address the problem by expanding national health insurance. That, though, he said, is “a work in progress,” given the expense. So, for now, without specifics, he echoed leaders from other nations (and food companies themselves): “There must be heightened public awareness of what’s good and bad in terms of eating habits.”

Some activists have tried to prompt more action. Dr. Laar has been pushing for food labels that display nutritional content and restrictions on imports of processed food. And she wants more regulations for fast-food restaurants, “before it gets out of hand.”

“We already have a problem,” she said, “and now there is an influx of fast food companies trying to penetrate the market. We need to make sure the government is regulating how they’re trying to do that.”

She added: “We shouldn’t underestimate the impact they can have now, and in the future if they spread to rural areas.”