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Women must support CSOs to advocate gender responsiveness into tobacco control policies
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Tobacco control stakeholders have urged women to actively support Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with strong advocacy, to integrate gender responsiveness into tobacco control policies in Ghana.
They said this would help save the lives of several young women and girls from tobacco-related illnesses and destruction.
The stakeholders, comprising representatives from the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority, and CSOs at a panel discussion, noted that tobacco consumption by women, particularly e-cigarette, was becoming alarming and almost at par with that of men.
They said to this end, there was the urgent need for women to be actively involved by backing CSOs and other relevant agencies, to make a strong case for raising excise taxes on tobacco products, especially the e-cigarette or to ban it from the country.
They made the call at a stakeholder dialogue meeting on Mainstreaming Gender Responsiveness into Ghana’s Tobacco Fiscal Policies, organised by the Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development (VAST Ghana) in Accra, supported by Tax Justice Network Africa.
It was attended by representatives from government institutions, CSOs, academia, development partners, the media, and other relevant stakeholders, to examine the gendered dimensions of tobacco use and tobacco-related harm in Ghana.
The participants explored how gender considerations could be more effectively integrated into tobacco taxation, fiscal policies, and broader tobacco control interventions.
They also identified practical approaches for strengthening equitable and gender-responsive tobacco control policies in Ghana.
Dr Divine Darlington Logo of the Research and Development Division of the Ghana Health Service who presented a research on Tobacco Excise Tax, said gender-responsive fiscal policy does not mean different tax rate by sex.
He stated that young people were strongly price-responsive, and that keeping tobacco less affordable could reduce consumption and discourage initiation.
Dr Logo noted that lowering tobacco use meant fewer tobacco-related diseases and avoidable pressure on the health system, stating that tobacco spending could crowd out food, health and other household priorities.
He urged stakeholders to track who benefitted and who bore cost – by sex, age, income, product and region, pointing out that tobacco excise tax is not only a finance policy – it is a prevention, public-health and equity policy, and a gender-responsive approach could contribute to Sustainable Development Goal five (SDG 5).
Mr Labram Musah, the Executive Director of VAST Ghana said the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) provided an important foundation in Article 4.2 (d) as a guiding principle.
“It urges states to consider the need to take measures to address gender-specific risks when developing tobacco control strategies,” he pointed out, and that it recognized the relationship between gender and tobacco control and has called for gender-responsive approaches to tobacco control.
Mr Musah stated that Article ‘6’ of the WHO FCTC was particularly relevant to the discussion and that it recognised price and tax measures as an effective and important means of reducing tobacco use.
“Effective tobacco taxation reduces affordability, discourages initiation and encourages cessation while generating substantial domestic revenue,” he said.
He said, “The question before us for this dialogue is whether we are designing and implementing our tobacco fiscal policies in a way that recognises differences in exposure, vulnerability, consumption or use and health consequences across population groups.”
![Rev Steve Mensah [seated middle] with Mrs Louise Lysholm [third from left]and the participants after the workshop photo Okai Elizabeth.](https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Rev-Steve-Mensah-seated-middle-with-Mrs-Louise-Lysholm-third-from-leftand-the-participants-after-the-workshop-photo-Okai-Elizabeth.jpg)
Having successfully led the way as a good shepherd and ensured that prison inmates feel dignified, loved and cared for, the International Prison Chaplains Association, IPCA Ghana, has every reason to celebrate its tenth anniversary in paying gratitude to God.
The programme which was held at the Ghana National Association of Teachers, (GNAT Hall) in Accra, was under the theme,
“Breaking Chains, Building Hope – ten years of transforming lives.”
It brought together IPCA members from Ghana, representatives from Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Congo and Gabon, with the International Vice President of IPCA Worldwide, Hon Rev Jean Didier Mboyo, and IPCA Denmark Chair, Chaplain, Mrs Louise Lysholm in attendance.
The Founding Chairman of lPCA Ghana, Rev. Steve Mensah, said since getting involved in prison ministry satisfied the demands of Jesus Christ in the Bible, the task must be carried out with the cheerfulness it deserved.
He said Jesus Christ identified with prisoners because their conditions were likened to a state of hopelessness.
He said some of the achievements made by IPCA Ghana over the period included, the establishment of a medical support for the inmates in the various prisons, facilitated educational initiatives for them, assisted in their nutritional needs, provided TV sets and dishes during the COVID 19 pandemic which enabled the inmates to listen to the gospel and other educational programmes, among others.
IPCA Denmark Chair, Chaplain, Mrs Louise Lysholm, who shared strategies to reduce recidivism and conditions which prevail in prisons in Denmark, said since it was damaging for people to be convicted, the Prison Service tried to work on the conscience of the inmates when they were brought in.
The Director- General of the Ghana Prison Service, Mrs Patience Baffoe- Bonnie in a speech read on her behalf by the Director of Health and Community Service, Mrs Fofo Tachie Otoo, commended the leadership and members of IPCA Ghana, for being a dependable and supportive partner. She said it was gratifying to note that when many people, including some Christians, shunned the company of prisoners, IPCA Ghana, solidly stepped in to lend its support.
A leading member of IPCA Ghana, Dcns Dr Mrs Angela Tena Mensah, coordinated the presentation of awards to the Founding Chair of IPCA Ghana, Rev. Steve Mensah, the Director-General of Ghana Prison Service, Mrs Patience Baffoe – Bonnie, Hon Rev. Jean Didier Mboyo, pioneer leaders and some individuals for their outstanding roles in the growth of the association.
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The National Film Authority (NFA) is preparing to roll out a new initiative, dubbed ‘Cinema Train,’ to expand the exhibition of Ghanaian films beyond Accra and provide filmmakers with access to more screening venues across the country.
The initiative is being developed in partnership with the National Commission on Culture (NCC), which has facilities in nine of the former 10 regions of Ghana.
The Executive Secretary of the NFA, Ms Kafui Danku-Pitcher, said the Authority was currently scouting for suitable locations across the country as part of preparations for the programme.
She said the project was intended to address the shortage of exhibition spaces available to filmmakers and create opportunities for Ghanaian films to reach audiences outside the capital.
Ms Danku-Pitcher said the NFA was working with the NCC to identify existing facilities that could be converted into suitable venues for film exhibition.
She explained that some of the identified facilities required facelifts and technical improvements before they could meet the standards required for film screenings.
The upgrades, she said, would help improve the aesthetic appeal, comfort and technical capacity of the venues.
Ms Danku-Pitcher said the ‘Cinema Train’ would also provide a platform for the NFA to work with actors, filmmakers and other industry stakeholders on film distribution and exhibition.
She said the programme would be launched soon, adding that the initiative was expected to formalise the use of the identified spaces for film-related activities.
The Acting Executive Director of the NCC, Mr Wakefield Ackuaku, said the Commission’s network of cultural facilities provided an opportunity to support the initiative.
He said the facilities, which were located in nine of the former 10 regions, could be used by filmmakers and other creative industry practitioners.
Mr Ackuaku said the NCC was prepared to make the facilities available not only for film screenings but also for activities involving musicians, performers and other creatives.
He said the Commission did not require large financial deposits for programmes that were consistent with its mandate to preserve, promote and develop Ghanaian culture.
The arrangement, he said, was intended to encourage creatives to use the facilities and create more activities at the Centres for National Culture.
Mr Ackuaku said the initiative would help revive the use of the facilities, particularly beyond normal working hours, when many of the centres were not being fully utilised.
The partnership between the NFA and NCC is expected to create a network of venues that can support film exhibition across the country.
The ‘Cinema Train’ is also expected to give filmmakers opportunities to take their productions to new audiences while strengthening the distribution and exhibition side of Ghana’s film industry.
The initiative comes as stakeholders in the creative sector continue to explore ways of improving access to infrastructure and creating more avenues for locally produced films to reach the public.
The success of the project will depend on the upgrading of identified facilities and the establishment of a workable system for filmmakers and other creatives to use the spaces.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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