News
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
The Volta North Regional Police Command has secured a conviction of a 27 year old man Mohammed Rafiu for making unlawful entry and stealing church musical instruments at Hohoe in the Volta Region.
On June 5, 2026 the accused was observed near the Faith International Ministry Church carrying a sack containing various items rushing to hail a car.
The witnesses suspected his action and approached to check the content in the sack. The following items were found, One (1) Amplifier, One (1) equalizer, One (1) mixer and
Cross-over Machine all belonging to the church.
The accused was arrested and brought to the Hohoe Police District where he admitted to police to the charges leveled against him.
On Monday June 8, 2026 the accused was put before the Hohoe circuit cout where he pleaded guilty on two counts and was convicted and sentenced to three (3) years for unlawful entry and four (4) years of stealing.
Both sentences are to run concurrently.
The Volta North Regional Police Command has urged the general public to immediately report any suspected criminal activities to the Police for action.
News
Dome-Kwabenya MP, Ga East MCE tour flood-prone areas in the constituency, assure victims of support
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Elikplim Akurugu, together with the Municipal Chief Executive for the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Edmund Agboh, and officials of the assembly, have toured several flood-prone communities in the constituency to identify the causes of recent flooding and inspect structures obstructing waterways.
The inspection made on the Monday, 8th June, 2026 formed part of efforts to assess the extent of the flooding, identify structures built on waterways, and develop plans for their demolition to prevent future occurrences.
Some areas visited during the tour included Christian Village, Sesemi, Abokobi Station, Falaku and the Pure Water area, all of which were affected by the recent floods that hit parts of the constituency.
Speaking to the media after the inspection, the MP expressed sadness over the destruction caused by the floods, noting that although no lives were lost, many residents had suffered significant property damage.
She attributed much of the flooding to human activities such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and the construction of buildings on waterways and drainage channels.
The MP appealed to residents to change their attitudes towards sanitation and environmental management, stressing that the country did not have a deficit of prayers but rather an attitude deficit.
She assured residents that the assembly and its technical team would immediately begin work to address some of the drainage challenges identified during the tour.
Ms. Akurugu sympathised with residents whose homes and businesses were affected by the floods and assured them that efforts were being made to secure relief items to support them.
The Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Edmund Agboh, said the inspection was intended to take stock of the causes of the recent flooding, which he described as unprecedented.
According to him, the assembly wants to be proactive by identifying and addressing the factors responsible for the flooding before the next rainy season.
Mr. Agboh blamed part of the problem on the increasing number of structures being erected on waterways and drainage paths, as well as the failure of some residents to comply with building regulations.
He disclosed that many of the structures identified during the inspection would be marked for demolition after the necessary procedures had been completed.
The MCE further announced plans to intensify inspections, particularly on weekends, explaining that some developers often undertake unauthorised construction works on Saturdays and Sundays when assembly officials are not at work.
He said the assembly would collaborate with neighbouring jurisdictions and deploy additional resources to improve drainage systems and reduce flooding in the municipality.
The MCE assured that the assembly will use the findings from the inspection to implement immediate and long-term measures aimed at reducing flooding and protecting lives and property in Dome-Kwabenya.
The Director of Works at the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Engineer Justine Glover, said the team inspected several critical locations along the Dakobi River and other flood-prone areas.
He explained that at Pantang Village, officials directed contractors to excavate and open blocked culvert outlets to allow the free flow of water during rainfall.
At Sesemi, he said the team observed extensive damage caused by upstream developments and the absence of proper drainage infrastructure.
Engineer Glover added that officials recommended dredging drainage channels at Abokobi Station to improve the performance of existing culverts.
He further revealed that some structures identified on waterways at Falaku had been earmarked for demolition as part of efforts to restore the natural flow of water.
In addition to the inspection, the MP and the MCE visited residents affected by the floods in the Pure Water area to offer words of encouragement and assure them of support.
The tour also revealed that many residents had constructed buildings on waterways, while several structures lacked the required building permits, a situation officials said had contributed significantly to the flooding experienced in the constituency.
By: Jacob Aggrey
