Hot!
Don’t limit Women’s Day celebration to empowerment — Physiotherapist
Having monitored the media landscape for a long time specifically on women related issues during International Women’s Day, no light is shed on women’s sexual activities as there are on entrepreneurship and women fitting into the corporate world among other pertinent issues bordering on femininity.
Renowned physiotherapist and specialist in men’s and women’s health, Ms Anna Hughton, who made the observation said that though painful sex was one of the very debilitating conditions that women experienced, it was one of the least conditions mentioned in our part of the world.
Ms Anna Hughton, is the Clinic Director of the Accra Physiotherapy and Sport Injury Clinic,
Accra.
Speaking with The Spectator Gender on gender health related conditions, she said that painful sex (dyspareunia) was an aching or burning pain either during penetration, during sex or even after sex.
She was quick to add that, “the case is even worse for some women who also experience pains during cleaning of the vagina, or inserting tampons, or anything with any kind of internal penetration, so it can be that it’s not only during sex, but could be even cleaning. Even if you use a tampon and you insert, it can cause pain”.
She stressed that, in a lot of instances women just put up with the pains they experienced during sex but Ms Hughton declared that, that status quo must change through education and sentisitisation for women to acknowledge the condition and seek help immediately.
Sexual activities are part of life and women must as well enjoy it just as their husbands and partners do.
“Having good sexual act is part of our life and part of femininity and if that doesn’t function well and you don’t also consider it that it’s an important aspect of you which contributes towards you being a female, then it is very unfortunate”, she said.
Causes
The list of causes and reason some women have painful sex is non exhaustive but Ms Hughton said, “If you’re a virgin, the initial sexual intercourse can be painful but experiencing pains afterwards is not right”.
Though some women could experience painful sex after delivery especially if they had cut,
women in their menopausal age could also have pains during sex. It could be because of endometriosis (a disorder in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus)
Having had fibroids, medical abortion, prolapse (a bulging or falling out of a body part, such as the rectum or vagina, that commonly occurs because of weakened pelvic muscle), pelvic inflammatory disease could be reasons some women experience painful sex.
Additionally, women who have had hysterectomy, removal of fibroids, or other kinds of surgical procedures can cause a trauma.
Women who have irritable bowel syndrome (repeated pain in your abdomen and changes in your bowel movements, which may cause diarrhoea, constipation, or both) could unlikely experience painful sexual activity.
Again, some women who have very tight pelvic floor muscles or women who have had abortion are also likely to experience pains during sex.
In subsequent write-up, we shall throw more light on the effects of painful sex on women and marriages and the role of husbands and partners during sex and solutions.
By Portia Hutton-Mills
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, together with members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), on April 17, 2026, decorated nineteen (19) senior officers who have been promoted to their next ranks based on the recommendations of the Police Council and approval of the President, John Dramani Mahama.
The ceremony, held at the National Police Headquarters in Accra, forms part of efforts to recognise merit, dedication, and long-standing service within the Ghana Police Service, while strengthening leadership across key operational and administrative levels.
The officers promoted from Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) to Commissioner of Police (COP) are Dr. Luke Asue-In-Yeng Zakpaa, Mr. Frederick Agyei, Mr. Duuti Tuaruka, Mr. Arthur Osei-Akoto, Mr. Darko Offei Lomotey, Mr. Eric Ken Winful, Mr. Barnabas Nambont Nasumong, and Mr. Desmond Owusu Boampong.
The IGP and members of POMAB congratulated the officers and urged them to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in the discharge of their duties.
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
