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Gender Ministry, UNFPA hold review meeting on child marriage information portal
To assess the progress, performance, and future directions of the Child Marriage Information Portal (CMIP), a one-day review meeting tailored for the editorial team and stakeholders was held on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
The programme is under the auspices of the Child Marriage Unit of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with the United Nation’s Population Fund (UNFPA).
Among other things, the meeting sought to; Enhance editorial collaboration among stakeholders for effective content creation, Identify opportunities to enhance readers’ engagement and audience reach and increase accessibility and utilisation of the child marriage database.
Delivering her welcome address, the Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr Afisah Zakariah intimated that child marriage is a heinous act which robs millions of children especially girls of their childhood, education, and opportunities in their lives
She empathised that the CMIP developed by MoGCSP, Child Marriage Unit and the UNFPA, stands as a beacon of hope in fighting against child marriage.
‘This portal is a web-based platform that provides policymakers, practitioners, and the public real-time access to critical information on child marriage, sexual and gender- based violence,” she added
Dr Afisah Zakariah charged the editorial team and the stakeholders to work together to ensure the portal becomes a true one-shop for knowledge, empowering communities, informing policies, and driving action to meet the SDG of eliminating child marriage by 2030.
To buttress her point, the Head of the Child Marriage Unit, Madam Safia Tamimu underscored the importance of the CMIP as a tool of knowledge dissemination, data-sharing, and coordination in the national campaign to end child marriage.
She called on the officers to be bold in their commitment, share stories, amplify their successes, and confront challenges in order to promote transparency, access to data, and inter-sectoral collaboration in the CMIP.
During the meeting, the Representative from UNFPA Ghana, Madam Doris Mawusi Aglobitse, reaffirmed the organization’s ongoing support.
She urged participants to remain engaged in ensuring the child marriage information portal becomes a reliable, user- friendly and inclusive platform for national advocacy regarding child marriage.
The editorial team evaluated the portal’s effectiveness in providing credible, accessible, and actionable information related to child marriage in the country.
The review meeting brought forward actionable insights for improving the Child Marriage Information Portal, supporting the national efforts to end child marriage, and empowering affected communities in Ghana.
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana has signed a debt restructuring agreement with the Kingdom of Belgium as part of efforts to restore the country’s economic stability after the financial crisis that hit the nation in 2022 and 2023.
The Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, today disclosed that he signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
He explained that Ghana experienced a very difficult period during the crisis, which forced the government at the time to declare a debt default.
However, he indicated that the country is now recovering and witnessing a significant economic turnaround.
According to him, stronger systems are also being put in place to ensure that Ghana does not return to such a situation again.
Dr Forson noted that the agreement with Belgium is the eighth deal Ghana has concluded with countries under the Official Creditor Committee as part of its external debt restructuring programme.
He expressed appreciation to the Government of Belgium for its support and partnership with Ghana during the process.
The Finance Minister thanked Carole van Eyll, Ambassador of Belgium to Ghana, for her role in strengthening relations between the two countries.
The agreement forms part of Ghana’s broader effort to restructure its external debts and stabilise the economy following the crisis.
By: Jacob Aggrey
