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Plan International Ghana urges MDAs to budget for child protection issues
Group picture with Plan International Ghana officials, school children
and staff of Jasikan Municipal Assembly after the forum
Plan International Ghana has called on Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) to take child protection issues seriously and include them in their annual budgets to enable them to deal effectively with them.
The Southern Programme Influence and Impact Area (IIA) Manager of the organisation, Mr Gamgama Mathias Mantia, made the call at a stakeholder’s forum with the Social Services Department of the Jasikan Municipal Assembly at Jasikan in the Oti Region.
Mr Mantia explained that Plan International Ghana through its child protection programme dubbed “Be Smart, Learn and Stay Protected”, had created awareness in the Jasikan Municipality over the years, therefore the need for the Assembly to budget for child protection.
According to him, protection of children would ensure their security and enable them to learn to become responsible adults in future.
Mr Mantia said his organisation had done a lot over the years, hence it was important for the assembly to protect the gains made.
The Programme Manager of “Be Smart, Learn and Stay Protected’ Mr Kofi Vieku said his outfit was satisfied with the interest shown by the Jasikan Municipal Assembly to incorporate the programme in its activities.
Mr Vieku said the organisation had established a strong foundation through its educational activities over the years, which had made stakeholders including parents understand the need to protect their children against all forms of abuses.
The Jasikan Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Mr James Awapoayi, said the Assembly was privileged to partner Plan International Ghana to protect children in the municipality.
He said the stakeholders’ engagement with Plan International would enable the Assembly to sustain the programme when they leave the area.
Mr Awapoayi assured that the Assembly would provide an annual budget including child protection to ensure that the impact made over the years would be sustained and also extended to other communities where the programme did not cover to enhance protection and welfare of children to develop their potentials.
A pupil of New Ayoma Primary School, Sophia Kamasah, appealed to the Assembly to allow children to participate in Assembly meetings to enable them to contribute to discussions to enable the Assembly to appreciate their concerns.
From Samuel Agbewode, Jasikan
News
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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