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Ghana Girl Guides calls for an increase in access to menstrual products
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Madam Apprey addressing the girls
The Kokrobite chapter of the Ghana Girl Guides Association (GGGA) is advocating for an increase in access to menstrual products for girls in schools across the country to help promote menstrual hygiene among them.
Leader of the volunteeringgroup, Madam Paulyn Apprey said educating young girls on the dangers of not practicing menstrual hygiene alone was not enough as many girls resort to the use of unhygienic materials during their menstrual cycles, which increases their risks of contracting infections.
She made the call over the weekend at an event to commemorate the world menstrual hygiene day at the Sunbeam Foundation School at Kokrobite in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, organized by her outfit.
More than 200 schoolgirls from selected schools within the area were in attendance.
According to Madam Apprey, it was very necessary for measures to be put in place at all cost, to ensure girls do not skip school because they cannot not afford sanitary products for use during their menstrual cycles.
“Imagine girls missing classes four or five days each month all because they cannot afford to get themselves sanitary pads? This, if not checked will greatly affect their academic performance.”
“There are many young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds so supporting such children with free sanitary pads each month will go along way to boost their confidence and make them feel comfortable coming to school, no matter the time of the month,” she stressed.
To this end, she revealed that her outfit embarked on a project to provide Emergency Prepared Packs (EPP) containing sanitary pads, tissues and hand sanitisers for distribution to some school purposely to be given to girls on their periods each month at no cost.
The initiative, she said had increased the enrollment of girls in the schools where such sanitary products had been made available, adding that punctuality of girls in the schools had also improved significantly.
Madam Apprey therefore called on benevolent individuals and institutions to support the good cause “to ensure our girls do not miss school just because they cannot afford sanitary pad.”
A senior health educator at the public health unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Madam Eunice Nyankahsaid making girls familiar with menstrual hygiene practices was very necessary because proper hygiene practice during menstruation helps prevent bacteria growth, urinary tract infections and other reproductive health issues.
Explaining, she noted that educating girls about menstrual hygiene makes them understand how to take good care of themselves during their menstrual cycles and avoid potential health risks.
She also indicated that menstrual hygiene education goes a long way in boosting confidence of girls, as menstruation in some jurisdictions, is accompanied by feeling of shame and low self-esteem.
She also called on government to as a matter of urgency scrap taxes on menstrual products to make them affordable.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has taken note of public allegations of extortion and related conduct made against the Minority Leader of Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The allegations were made by the Chief Executive of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi.
In a brief statement, the OSP said it has also received a joint petition submitted by two persons, as well as two separate petitions from other persons, in relation to the same allegations.
“Given the nature of the allegations, the OSP will assess the case and determine whether it falls within its statutory mandate and whether further investigative action is warranted,” the statement said.
The development comes amid a heated public feud between the Minority in Parliament and the leadership of GoldBod over the operations of the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.
The Minority, led by Afenyo-Markin, has accused GoldBod and the Bank of Ghana of causing a loss of over $1.7 billion, citing the International Monetary Fund’s August 2026 report. The Minority has vowed to pursue the matter as Parliament has reconvened for an emergency sitting.
GoldBod, on the other hand, has rejected claims by some NPP MPs, including Tano South MP Dr Gideon Boako, that it owes the Bank of Ghana GH¢1 billion in overdrafts, describing the claim as “false and malicious.”
In the latest twist, GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi has accused the Minority Leader of extortion and related conduct, an allegation that has triggered petitions to the OSP.
The OSP is mandated under Act 959 to investigate and prosecute specific cases of alleged or suspected corruption and corruption-related offences involving public officers and politically exposed persons.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
