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Minister Designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection pledges to champion maternity leave policies
The Minister Designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey has promised to champion maternity leave policies in Ghana.
She also emphasized the importance of extending the current three month maternity leave period to support the well-being of both mother and child.
Madam Lartey said this on Wednesday during her vetting by the Parliamentary Appointments Committee on Wednesday in Accra.
“It is important for women to have a prolonged leave period, not only to take care of the children but also to properly heal,” Dr Lartey said
In an attempt to promote gender equality, she pledged to support parental leave to benefits fathers.
Also, Dr Lartey said there was the need for collaboration with key stakeholdrers, including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and gender advocates, to achieve these policies.
“I will sit with all stakeholders, CSOs who are deep into it, and I will join the many advocates to look at what is best and ensure that we push it,” the Krowor Member of Parliament said.
Also, she indicated that, the Ministry will explore ways of providing affordable sanitary pads vulnerable girls.
This, she said will ensure girls do not fall victim tomen who offer to buy them sanitary pads in exchange for sex, leading to teenage pregnancy.
“There must be a way to provide affordable sanitary pads for vulnerable girls so they don’t fall prey to the men who buy it for them,” she said.
The Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Designate also mentioned that she will set up a Child support scheme to provide support for vulnerable children rescued from trafficking.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
All 6 US crew members on refueling aircraft that crashed mid-air are confirmed dead, bringing total US killed in action to 13 during Operation Epic Fury.
Earlier report from the US Central Command(CENTCOM) noted that four out of the six had passed on.
However, in an update, they have confirmed that all 6 crew members have died.
The crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq.
The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, CENTCOM noted that the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.
They added that identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission has announced a reduction in electricity and water tariffs for the second quarter of 2026.
According to the Commission, electricity tariffs will reduce by an average of 4.81 percent while water tariffs will go down by 3.06 percent.
The new tariffs will take effect from April 1, 2026.
In a press release issued on March 13, 2026, the Commission explained that the review forms part of its quarterly tariff adjustment mechanism which allows it to reflect changes in key economic indicators that affect the operations of utility service providers.
It noted that the quarterly review considers factors such as the exchange rate between the Ghana cedi and the United States dollar, the rate of inflation, the cost of fuel used in electricity generation, and the mix of electricity generation sources.
The Commission indicated that it applied a projected weighted average exchange rate of GHS11.1931 to one United States dollar for the second quarter of 2026.
This represents a 6.78 percent reduction from the previous quarter rate of GHS12.0067 to one dollar.
It explained that a three month average inflation rate of 4.17 percent was used for the review period, which reflects a downward change of 47.87 percent compared to the previous quarter.
The Commission further stated that the weighted average cost of gas used for power generation increased slightly to 8.0988 dollars per MMBtu, representing an increase of 2.84 percent from the previous rate.
It added that the electricity generation mix for the period remains unchanged, with 20.90 percent coming from hydro sources and 79.10 percent from thermal generation, as outlined in the 2025 Multi Year Tariff Order.
The Commission explained that these adjustments are meant to maintain the real value of tariffs so that utility service providers remain financially stable while continuing to deliver reliable services to consumers.
It announced that, for the first time, a commercial electric vehicle charging tariff has been introduced to support the transition to green energy.
According to the Commission, the new tariff is expected to encourage the growth of electric vehicle charging services in the country.
By: Jacob Aggrey
