President John Dramani Mahama has highlighted the significant progress Ghana has made in promoting gender equality, protecting women’s rights, and expanding social protection programmes that directly benefit women and girls.
Speaking at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in Beijing, China, President Mahama said Ghana has achieved gender parity in school enrollment, with more girls now going to school and staying in school.
“We’ve achieved gender parity in school enrollment. Girls are going to school and staying in school. Our commitment is further demonstrated by robust institutional reforms and legal frameworks that are designed to protect the rights of women and girls,” he said.
He explained that the government has strengthened critical agencies, including the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, the Domestic Violence Secretariat, and the Specialised Domestic Violence Courts.
Sustained budgetary allocations, he noted, have improved their capacity to deliver justice, protection, and social support to survivors of gender-based violence.
President Mahama also outlined several social protection programmes that have been expanded to directly benefit women and girls. These include:
- The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) initiative, which targets female-headed households.
- The Ghana School Feeding Programme, which sources food locally and improves nutrition and school retention, especially for girls.
- A policy reserving 50% of microfinance and small loan funding for women entrepreneurs.
- Nationwide distribution of free sanitary pads for schoolgirls to promote menstrual health and reduce absenteeism.
- Free tertiary education for persons with disabilities, especially women, and the No Academic Fee Policy for first-year tertiary students.
- The upcoming Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund, designed to ensure equitable access to treatment for non-communicable diseases, particularly for vulnerable groups.
He emphasized that these initiatives are supported by a strong legal and policy framework. Ghana, he said, has enacted and revised key instruments such as:
- The Revised National Gender Policy (2025–2034)
- The Ghana National Social Protection Act
- The Domestic Violence Act (2007)
- The Human Trafficking Act (2005)
- The Justice for Children Policy
President Mahama stressed that these efforts reflect Ghana’s determination to build a just, inclusive, and equitable society where women and girls can thrive and contribute meaningfully to national development.
