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Girls’ education key to transforming families, building stronger communities — CAMFED Ghana
The Executive Director of CAMFED Ghana, Fairuza Abdul-Rashid Safian, has called for renewed national commitment to girls’ education, describing it as the key to unlocking potential, transforming families, and building stronger communities.
Speaking at the CAMFED Ghana 2025 Convening held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) School of Business, Madam Safian shared compelling evidence of the life-changing impact of education on young women.
“When you educate a girl, her marriage is delayed, her children are healthier, and she becomes economically empowered,” she said, drawing applause from the audience of students, educators, and policymakers.
CAMFED Ghana, a leading organisation championing girls’ education and young women’s empowerment, currently supports 781 marginalised young women across public tertiary institutions in Ghana.
The support package includes tuition, accommodation, stipends, and other academic-related expenses—removing financial barriers that often derail the dreams of brilliant but underserved girls.
Madam Safian expressed concern about persistent challenges such as early marriage, lack of family support, and societal pressures that limit girls’ educational journeys. She emphasised the importance of engaging parents and communities to build understanding and support for the programme.
“When women are given the opportunity to learn, they nurture themselves and others. That’s how we build resilient families and communities,” she said.
The convening also featured a strong endorsement from the Ministry of Education, represented by Mr Frank Asiedu, Deputy Director of the Tertiary Directorate.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eliminating early marriage and promoting girls’ education through collaborative efforts. He revealed that the Ministry was working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Gender and other stakeholders to create policies that support girl-child education and protect vulnerable girls from harmful practices.
“This is a collective effort,” he stressed. “Together, we can build a supportive environment where girls thrive and reach their full potential.”
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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Mrs Patience Antonio, a Child and Family Development Advocate, has called for a national campaign to reduce the growing reliance on breast milk substitutes among nursing mothers in Ghana.
According to Mrs Antonio, scientific evidence shows that breastfeeding improves a child’s emotional stability, boosts intelligence, strengthens the immune system, and provides long-term health benefits. She made these remarks in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week, emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding for a child’s overall development.
She explained that breastfeeding is not just a biological act of feeding but a key emotional and developmental bridge between mother and child. She also highlighted the need for the recommended six-month maternity leave period to ease the pressure on mothers to return to work prematurely.
“Breastfeeding creates intimacy and trust. It assures the baby of love and security, which becomes the foundation for their emotional health,” Mrs Antonio noted, warning that abandoning exclusive breastfeeding could have long-term implications on children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Consequently, she called for a minimum of five months of fully paid maternity leave for Ghanaian mothers to enable effective breastfeeding, bonding, and healthier child development. She also urged workplaces to implement family-friendly policies, including private spaces for breastfeeding, flexible working arrangements for nursing mothers, and stronger support systems for new parents.
Mrs Antonio further encouraged families and society to actively support mothers during breastfeeding, stressing that many women struggle due to lack of assistance at home or the pressure to return to work too soon. She emphasized, “If we want a healthier, emotionally stable generation, then we must make breastfeeding a priority and support mothers to do it without stress.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Spectator
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The Nanvili Community School in the Mion District of the Northern Region is facing severe infrastructural challenges, affecting teaching and learning for pupils in the area.
The school, which serves five surrounding communities with a total of 58 pupils, has deteriorated to the extent that many children have stopped attending classes. Poor classroom conditions and the lack of desks have made teaching and learning difficult. During a visit to the school, the gate-free classrooms were found filled with goat and sheep droppings.
During the rainy season, both teachers and pupils are often cut off from the school due to bad roads and flooding. Teaching activities are frequently suspended for weeks, negatively affecting academic performance.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Dawuni Mutawakil, expressed concern, noting that the situation is worrying since these pupils are expected to compete with their counterparts in urban areas who have access to better facilities. He added that due to limited space, classes have been merged, with pupils from Primary One and Two, Three and Four, and Five and Six sharing the same classrooms.
The Chief of Nanvili, Abu Kassim, also appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations to come to the aid of the community. He emphasized that the current state of the school discourages children from nearby communities from attending.
Both the Chief and Assemblyman have called for urgent intervention to improve infrastructure and provide furniture for the pupils to ensure quality education for children in the Nanvili area.
By Geoffrey Buta, Nanvili, Northern Region
Spectator
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