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Netright advocates creation of National Care Policy for unpaid care workers
The Network for Women’s Right in Ghana (Netright) has called for the formation of a National Care Policy to address the unequal burden of unpaid care work on women and adolescent girls in Ghana.
It has also asked the Government to place value on unpaid care work and quantify its contribution to national development in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Unpaid care work refers to all the non-remunerated tasks and responsibilities carried out within households and communities that support the well-being of others.
These include caring for children, the elderly, and sick or disabled family members, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other household chores, collecting water and firewood (especially in rural settings) and volunteering in community care.
Ms Patricia Blankson Akakpo, the Executive Director, Netright, who made the call at a meeting in Accra on Tuesday, said in Ghana women disproportionately bore the burden of unpaid care work, contributing to time poverty and hindering their economic empowerment.
“Women perform three times more unpaid work than men, this unequal distribution of care responsibilities restricts women’s access to education, employment, and political and social participation while also impacting their health and well-being,” she stated.
The meeting, organised in partnership with Alinea International, a development consultancy firm, brought together civil society organisations, women’s rights groups, and government institutions to make input into Netright’s work on unpaid care work and mobilise support for policy reforms.
To address the negative impact of unpaid work on women and girls, Netright was implementing the United for Care Sensitive Approaches to Rights and Empowerment (UCARE) project with funding from Global Affairs Canada.
The project, Ms Akakpo said, aimed to reduce the unequal and unfair burden of unpaid care work on women and adolescent girls in northern Ghana.
“UCARE is being implemented in 10 districts across the three regions of the north – Northern, North-East and Savannah – to inform policy reforms,” she said.
Ms Lydia Dogee, the representative of Alinea International Ghana, said recent field studies the organisation conducted showed that unpaid care work remained largely regarded as feminine work.
“Out of an 18-hour workday for a woman, about 7.8 hours are devoted to unpaid care work. You can imagine what kind of paid work this woman is involved in and how she gets economically empowered,” she said.
She explained that the UCARE project was using an integrated approach to engage families and communities to recognise unpaid care work and encourage fair redistribution of house chores.
“We believe that a good meal served at home, that child that is guided, the sick that is comforted, or that clean room are not just acts of love, but acts of labour,” Ms Dogee said.
– GNA
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Prioritise affordable treatment of sickle cell treatment —Health Expert
Health experts have urged Ghana to prioritise affordable and accessible treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD) as advanced, but costly curative therapies remain out of reach.
SCD, an inherited blood disorder, affects about three in every 100 newborns in Ghana.
Globally, around 1,000 babies are born with the condition daily, with three-quarters in sub-Saharan Africa.
The disease causes severe complications including chronic pain, anaemia, infections, strokes and organ damage, often leading to shortened life expectancy.
In recent years, gene therapy has been developed as a potential cure.
However, its cost—running into millions of dollars per patient—makes it financially and technically inaccessible in Ghana.
According to Dr Lawrence Osei-Tutu, a Sickle Cell and Childhood Cancer Expert at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, “the country must instead focus on practical, lower-cost interventions such as hydroxyurea”, a decades-old cancer drug proven to reduce painful episodes, hospitalisation and life- threatening complications in SCD patients”.
Taken orally, the medicine improves red blood cell function and is considered safe and effective.
“Hydroxyurea therapy is as good as the cure and a low-hanging fruit to pluck, we must bring a cure to our sickle cell warriors, but do so sustainably.” he urged.
In a chat with The Spectator here, he said to create awareness on the disease, the expert noted that despite its benefits, “hydroxyurea is not widely accessible in Ghana.”
Stressing that, “many patients either cannot afford it or struggle with irregular supply through the health system.”
Moreover, he argued that scaling up access would provide immediate relief while the country builds the infrastructure, trains specialists and secures funding needed to support curative therapies in the future.
With an estimated 15,000 babies born with sickle cell disease annually in Ghana, Dr Osei Tutu cautioned that “failure to improve access to effective treatment will leave many patients vulnerable to preventable complications and early death.”
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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Let’s reintroduce Cultural Studies to complement educational reforms — Tourism Minister
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has emphasised the importance of reintroducing Cultural Studies in schools as part of Ghana’s broader educational reform agenda.
She said Cultural Studies would complement existing efforts to reposition Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to promote digital literacy and expand Creative Arts education.
Speaking at the 2025 Homowo Festival of the people of Ningo-Prampram, held on the theme: “Education: The Best Legacy for our Children,” Madam Gomashie said cultural education was critical to national identity and development.
She noted that the festival’s theme aligned with the Government’s vision to transform education in Ghana and encouraged the youth to embrace it not only as a means of personal development but also as a way of preserving traditional values.
These values, including patience, wisdom, and hard work, were at the core of the Homowo celebration, the Minister said.
“Cultural festivals like Homowo are vital instruments for strengthening cultural identity, preserving historical memory, and fostering national unity. Additionally, festivals serve as platforms for educating the youth through storytelling, music, dance, and other traditional practices, while also providing opportunities for community engagement.”
Madam Gomashie highlighted the strong foundation that Ghana’s tourism was built on, which included culture, traditions, and the creative industry, collectively contributing to over GH¢4.8 billion to the economy.
“Festivals give tourists reasons to visit our country. Therefore, with the right infrastructure and the development of all the domains, the sector can do more than what has been recorded,” she added.
Mr Sam Nartey George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, commended the community for their vibrant participation in the festival. He announced plans for the construction of a new nursing training school in Ningo, aimed at expanding access to healthcare education in the area.
Nene Osroagbo Djangmah XII, Paramount Chief of Great Ningo Traditional Area; King Dr Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, Ga Mantse; Nene Tetteh Wakah III, Paramount Chief of the Prampram Traditional Area; Prof. Odaifio Welentsi III, Paramount Chief of the Nungua Traditional Area; Naana Dugbakuwor Dugba II, Paramount Queen Mother of Great Ningo; and Mr. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Special Envoy on Religion and Inter-Faith Affairs, who represented the Chief of Staff, were among dignitaries at the festival. -GNA
