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Allow women, girls to decide number of children – UNFPA Country Rep
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Dr Ochan
The Country Representative for United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), Dr Wilfred Ochan has called for the empowerment of girls and women to enable them decide the number of children they want to have.
He said the decision to avoid or delay pregnancy was a struggle endured privately by most women and girls in low and middle-income countries as some were not permitted to take contraceptives without prior approval from their partners.
Dr Ochan said this on Tuesday in Accra at the National Launch of the 2023 Family Planning week which was held on the theme “family planning, my choice, my freedom.”
The day was also to commemorate the World Contraceptive Day which is marked on September 26 each year.
According to Dr Ochan limited choice of contraceptive methods, availability of services and gender based barriers were also some of the hindrances to making it difficult for women and girls to have a decision on the number of children they wish to have.
He said there have been some biases against some methods which had resulted in misinformation, information restriction and also limited access to family planning services which includes financial barriers.
He said globally the proportion of women of reproductive age who have their needs for family planning satisfied with modern contraception methods had only increased by 10 percentage points since 1990.
The Country Representative for UNFPA was of the view that it was time women take full control of their sexual health saying that it called for a concerted effort from all.
“Women, men, Health workers, Religious and traditional leaders, the government and its agencies, the private sector development partners, the media and in deed everybody, we all need to embrace and also make sure that our girls in particular and our women are empowered through family planning for their health, economic and social benefits,” he said.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A Plus, has detailed the steps he took to alert state institutions about a land dispute he feared could turn violent.
This comes after the recent violence linked to the Gomoa land dispute a few days ago.
Speaking on Joy News on September 3, 2026, in Accra, A Plus rejected suggestions that the government failed to act on his warning, insisting that the Ministry of Interior took the necessary steps after receiving his letter.
According to him, shortly after becoming the Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, he wrote to the Lands Commission to seek clarity on the boundaries between Gomoa Central and Effutu.
He explained that his decision was aimed at preventing possible confrontations over administrative and traditional boundaries.
The Lands Commission, he noted, later provided him with a comprehensive report outlining the boundaries of the Gomoa and Effutu lands.
A Plus further disclosed that he wrote to the Ministry of Local Government to seek clarification on where the Gomoa Central District begins and ends.
After receiving responses from the two institutions, he wrote to the Ministry of Interior, raising concerns about an area he described as being deep within Gomoa Central but where votes cast during elections were counted as part of another constituency.
He questioned why an area that, according to the reports he received, falls within Gomoa Central was being linked to Effutu for electoral purposes.
The Gomoa Central MP also raised concerns about the location and naming of a police headquarters in the area.
According to him, the Ghana Police Service established a police station in the disputed area and named it the Effutu North District Police Headquarters.
He argued that although the police station was important for maintaining security, its name could create the impression that the disputed land belonged to Effutu.
“The Lands Commission has also given us a report that indicates that this place is not Effutu. So how can you come and put Effutu North Police Station inside Gomoa Central?” he questioned.
A Plus maintained that the police station should be renamed the Gomoa Akronkwanta Police Station to avoid further tension over the dispute.
He stressed that he followed due process by engaging the relevant state institutions and providing them with all the information he had gathered.
According to him, the Ministry of Interior also conducted its own investigations and subsequently wrote to the Ghana Police Service regarding the matter.
The police later invited chiefs connected to the dispute for discussions, he explained, but expressed concern that nearly a year later, there had been no known outcome.
“We have not heard anything,” he stated.
A Plus maintained that the relevant institutions acted after his warning but indicated that the matter remained unresolved following the police engagement with the chiefs.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Over 650 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates in the Suhum Municipality have received support ahead of their transition to Senior High School (SHS).
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Suhum, Lydia Sarah Ohenewaa led the initiative on Friday, September 4, at the Suhum Main Station, where beneficiaries were given trunks, mattresses and buckets to aid their preparation for boarding school.
Outstanding BECE candidates were also rewarded with hampers and cash prizes.
Addressing students, parents and community members, the MCE urged the graduates to stay focused on their education and work hard to achieve their goals.
She appealed to individuals, corporate bodies and philanthropic organisations to support students from less privileged backgrounds who face challenges continuing their education.
The intervention was undertaken in partnership with the SOL Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting vulnerable and less privileged members of society.
The event brought together students, parents, education stakeholders and community members to celebrate academic excellence and support learners in need.
The gesture is expected to ease the financial burden on parents and motivate the beneficiaries to strive for academic excellence.
The MCE and the SOL Foundation reaffirmed their commitment to initiatives that promote education and support disadvantaged groups.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
