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Interior Minister calls for amplified Women’s voices in West African Peace-Building
Speaking at the Conflict Prevention and Sustainable Peace Forum at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohamed-Mubarak, called for amplifying women’s voices in peace-building in West Africa.
Emphasising the crucial role of women in promoting peace and stability in West Africa, the Minister stated, ‘We must amplify women’s voices in peace building, governance and democratic transitions.’
He highlighted Ghana’s significant strides in promoting women’s leadership, including the appointment of the country’s first female Vice President in 2025 and the passage of the Affirmative Action, Gender Equality Act, 2024, which mandates a minimum 40% female representation in public appointments, a move that underscores Ghana’s commitment to inclusive governance.
Mubarak Muntaka stressed that conflict prevention requires a proactive approach, vision, unity and courage.
“We must institutionalise women’s leadership in peace architecture, invest in education and youth empowerment and strengthen regional collaboration,” he urged.
He noted that West Africa faces complex security challenges, including violent extremism, insurgency, terrorism, piracy and climate-induced conflicts and emphasised the need for holistic and inclusive approaches to address these root causes.
To achieve sustainable peace, Hon. Muntaka outlined a comprehensive action plan, saying women’s leadership must be ensured in peace architecture at national, regional and local levels. He added that education and youth empowerment are crucial in tackling grievances and exclusion and that regional collaboration must be strengthened through ECOWAS protocols and joint security operations.
The Minister further added that digital literacy must be promoted to counter disinformation that fuels tensions and that inclusive dialogue must be fostered, particularly in fragile and transitional contexts and early warning systems driven by civil society and women’s groups must be prioritized.
He emphasised the importance of working together to build a region where peace is firm, democracy is credible and every voice is heard and valued. He commended the Australian High Commission in Ghana and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre for collaborating on the timely and critical programme.
The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Berenice Owen-Jones, emphasizes the importance of reforming peace-building architecture, stressing that peace must be built on justice and gender equality, which the Commission actively champions.
The forum reflects the shared commitment of Ghana and international partners to promoting peace, stability and inclusive governance in West Africa.
It provides an opportunity to interrogate not only regional peace and security architecture but also to emphasise the often-overlooked role of women as active agents in conflict prevention and democratic consolidation.
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Oxfam in Ghana donates medical equipment and essential drugs worth GH¢1.5 million to Kasoa Polyclinic
Oxfam in Ghana has donated medical equipment and essential drugs worth about GH¢1.5 million to the Kasoa Polyclinic to strengthen maternal and reproductive healthcare services in the municipality.
The presentation, which took place on Tuesday, June 24, 2026, at the premises of the clinic in Kasoa, formed part of the sustainability and legacy activities under the Power to Choose (P2C) Project.
The donated items included delivery beds, maternity beds, oxygen cylinders, neonatal resuscitation equipment, blood pressure monitors, newborn weighing scales, suction machines, delivery kits, essential medicines, medical theatre wear and other critical supplies to support quality healthcare delivery.
The Power to Choose Project is a seven-year initiative being implemented by Oxfam in Ghana in partnership with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), WiLDAF Ghana, SEND Ghana, Norsaac and PARDA, with funding from Global Affairs Canada through Oxfam Quebec.
The project seeks to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights for young people, particularly adolescent girls, young women and young men living in vulnerable and marginalised conditions.
Addressing nurses and management of the hospital, the Country Director for Oxfam in Ghana, Mohammed-Anwar Sadat Adam, said the project, which began in 2021 and will run until early 2028, is being implemented in seven countries across Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
He said Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the two African countries benefiting from the project.
Mr. Adam noted that the project has already trained about 102 health workers in areas including youth-friendly services, emergency obstetric and neonatal care, family planning, gender-based violence response, respectful maternity care and inclusive healthcare delivery.
He said Oxfam and its partners conducted assessments at beneficiary facilities and identified equipment needs to help improve healthcare delivery.
According to him, the donation would create safe spaces where young women and girls could seek healthcare services without fear or stigma and would improve health outcomes in the community.
Mr. Adam thanked the Government of Canada, the Ghana Health Service, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ghana (SOGOG), World Health Ghana and other partners for supporting the implementation of the project.
He urged the beneficiary facilities to ensure that the equipment is properly used and maintained to serve the community for many years.
A speech by the Municipal Health Director for Awutu Senya East, Dr. Stanley Kweku Yaidoo, which was read on his behalf by the Municipal Accountant, Rev. Dr. Askari Thomas, described the donation as timely and important.
He said quality healthcare delivery depends on manpower, financial resources and equipment, adding that healthcare workers cannot effectively deliver services without the necessary tools.
Dr. Yaidoo thanked Oxfam and its partners for selecting Kasoa as one of the beneficiary facilities and assured them that the equipment would be put to good use.
The Acting Medical Superintendent of Kasoa Polyclinic, Dr. Papa Kojo Arthur, expressed appreciation to Oxfam for its continuous support over the years through training and capacity building.
He said the equipment would greatly support the effective management of patients, particularly in maternal and child healthcare.
According to him, the donation would help reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in the municipality.
The donation formed part of efforts to strengthen the capacity of youth-friendly health facilities in eight implementing districts across five regions of Ghana to continue providing quality and accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare services beyond the lifespan of the project.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts (MoTCCA) has announced that an electronic copy of Ghana’s revised National Cultural Policy is now available online for free access by the public and stakeholders in the creative sector.
In a statement issued on June 22, the ministry said the revised policy was officially launched on June 9, 2026, at the National Theatre of Ghana in Accra.
According to the ministry, the decision to upload the document on its official website is aimed at ensuring widespread dissemination, increasing public awareness and promoting the effective implementation of the policy.
The ministry encouraged sector practitioners, stakeholders and members of the public to visit its website and read the document.
“The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, in the spirit of the Black Star Experience, remains committed to a transparent, inclusive and collaborative approach to building the better Ghana we want,” the statement said.
It added that it looks forward to the active participation of stakeholders in implementing the policy for the benefit of the country.
The ministry urged the public to take advantage of the free access to the policy document and familiarise themselves with its contents.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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