Gender
Plan Int’l Ghana reaffirms commitment to menstrual health, gender equality
Plan International Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing menstrual health and hygiene management (MHHM) and promoting the rights, dignity and well-being of girls and women across the country.
Mr Mathias Gangana, Southern Programme Influencing and Impact Area Manager of Plan International Ghana, said the organisation’s interventions over the past decade had helped address menstrual poverty, challenge harmful social norms and create enabling environments for girls to thrive.
He was speaking at the UHAS, RGHI Project Dissemination Forum held at the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health on the Hohoe Campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).
Mr Gangana said, as an organisation dedicated to children’s rights and gender equality, particularly for girls, Plan International Ghana had implemented transformative interventions that had significantly improved menstrual health outcomes nationwide.
He said through comprehensive menstrual health education programmes, the organisation had reached girls, boys, parents, teachers and community members, increased awareness and reducing the stigma associated with menstruation.
Mr Gangana said thousands of vulnerable girls had been empowered to manage menstruation with dignity and confidence through the provision of sanitary pads, reusable menstrual products and the establishment of pad banks in schools, including special schools and some tertiary institutions.
He said those interventions had contributed to improved school attendance and greater participation in academic activities among girls.
Mr Gangana said Plan International Ghana had also strengthened Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services through the installation and rehabilitation of handwashing facilities, the provision of clean water and soap, and the construction of gender-responsive, inclusive and disability-friendly sanitation facilities.
He said those investments had improved privacy, safety and comfort for girls while promoting healthy hygiene practices in schools and communities.
Recognising that menstrual health was a shared responsibility, Mr Gangana said the organisation had actively engaged men and boys through initiatives such as the “Real Fathers” campaign to foster understanding and support for girls and women.
He said advocacy and community sensitisation programmes had also contributed to reducing discrimination, challenging harmful gender norms and advancing gender equality.
According to him, the interventions had yielded significant outcomes, including increased knowledge and awareness of menstrual health, improved access to menstrual hygiene products, enhanced school attendance and academic participation among girls, strengthened hygiene practices, increased male involvement and stronger community ownership of menstrual health initiatives.
“As we reflect on these achievements, we stand in solidarity with all partners, lecturers, teachers, community leaders, parents, girls and young people who have contributed and continue to support this important journey,” he said.
Mr Gangana said the collective efforts of stakeholders had empowered countless girls to remain in school, participate confidently in community development and realise their full potential.
He reaffirmed Plan International Ghana’s commitment to sustaining efforts that would ensure every girl could manage menstruation safely, confidently and with dignity.
“Together, let us build a more just, inclusive and equitable society where no girl is left behind simply because of her period,” he said. -GNA
Gender equality should not be left to women alone, but requires the active participation of men and other stakeholders, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has said.
She said gender equality was a national development issue and not a matter concerning only women, stressing that both men and women had important roles to play in creating an inclusive society.
Dr Lartey said this last Thursday in Accra at a capacity workshop on the implementation of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024.
The workshop was aimed at helping journalists understand the provisions of the Act, strengthen their capacity to communicate gender equity issues and promote accurate, balance reporting on the implementation of the Act.
Ghana could not achieve meaningful development if one section of society was excluded from participating fully in leadership, decision-making and other areas of national development.
“It is not about a group of people. It is not about one of the sexes. It is about the nation. It is about the country,” she said.
She called for stronger commitment to translating the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), into practical action to improve women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
She said the passage of the law should not be considered the end of the process, but rather the beginning of deliberate efforts to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
Dr Lartey said increasing the number of women in leadership was important, but their participation must also have a meaningful impact on national development.
“We want it to count,” she stressed, calling for practical initiatives that would move the affirmative action agenda from policy to implementation.
The Executive Director of Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), Dr Charity Binka, also urged the media to play a critical role in ensuring the effective implementation of the Act.
She said Ghana had taken an important step by passing the law after 13 years of efforts, but the real test was its implementation.
According to Dr Binka, the Act requires 30 per cent representation of women in leadership and decision-making by 2026, rising to 50 per cent by 2030.
She urged the media to inform the public about the law, monitor institutions’ compliance and challenge stereotypes that undermine women’s leadership.
Dr Binka urged journalists to ensure institutions were complying with requirements, including Gender Equity Policies, Compliance Certificates and annual reports.
She said affirmative action was not about replacing merit with gender, but addressing structural barriers that had historically limited qualified women’s opportunities to participate and lead.
She called for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, the private sector, the media and other stakeholders to turn the law into measurable results for women and girls.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
The United Nations has warned, that Gender equality is “woefully off track.”
At the current rate of progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve, the UN’s Gender Snapshot report said.
The number of countries with a woman as head of state or government has increased from 2020 to 2026. “Yet six in seven countries are still led by men.
Women’s representation in national cabinets declined to 22.4 per cent in 2026, after peaking at 23.3 per cent in 2024,” the report said. “The decline is a warning sign that gains cannot be taken for granted, and that progress towards equal political power remains fragile.”
Funding for gender equality has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, the report found. At the same time, 42 per cent of UN agencies reported that their efforts to promote gender equality had been weakened, as a result of budget cuts.
Millions of women also continued to endure some extremely severe forms of violence and discrimination across the globe, the UN said. Nearly one in five girls is married before the age of 18, and nearly one in three women globally have survived partner or sexual violence in their lifetime.
In the past year, 316 million women experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, the report said.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, said the statistics were not inevitable. “It is the result of choices, made visible through data. Investing in gender equality, institutions, and the statistical systems that hold them to account is not a cost. It is the fastest route back to the 2030 Agenda’s promise of equal power for all.”-GNA
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