Articles about Ghana

CELEBRATING AFRICA’S SRHR CHAMPION: PROF. FRED SAI By Archibald Adams Early Years & Family  Prof. Frederick Torgbor Sai, born on 24th June 1924 is a family health physician who co-founded the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) in 1967. As a gender and reproductive health advocate, he is known for his campaigns and education drawing attention to the food and nutrition problems of Africa, particularly of women and children.  He is a product of the Osu Presbyterian Senior Boys School (Salem), Achimota College and University of London and Harvard University. Married to Florence and together, they have raised 6 children. Prof. Sai loves to give lectures, plays golf, loves[JN1] jazz music, spending time with friends and family. Working Years Prof. Sai served as the Director of Medical Services and Professor of Community Health at the University of Ghana, Legon. He was also a Nutrition Advisor to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Africa Region as well as the coordinator for the World Hunger Programme of the United Nations University and a Senior Population Advisor to the World Bank. He was the President and Honorary Secretary of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. Prof. Sai became the first Head of the National Population Council, first African President of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and was instrumental in setting up the IPPF Africa Regional Office as well as the Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS) in Nairobi. He was named the Godfather of family planning in 2012 by the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet.  In his fifty-year career, Prof. Sai advocated for family planning policies in Ghana leading to the provision of subsidized family planning services to public hospitals by the government in 2007 under the Free Maternal Health Policy. Known in the global community as a champion of women’s sexual and reproductive health, he also an authority on health, nutrition and population.He believes that, any young girl or woman who wants an abortion should be allowed to have one in a safe medical environment.Prof. Sai held the Chairmanship for Main Committees of the last two major UN conferences on Population and Development: 1984 International Conference on Population in Mexico City and the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. Awards Prof. Sai is a recipient of several awards including theUnited Nations Population Award in 1993 for his work in Population, Reproductive Health and Nutrition, the 1995 Prince Mahidol Award in "recognition of his long-standing involvement and global leadership on international family planning and population issues”, Honorary Doctorates from Tufts Universityand University of Ghana, Honorary Fellowship of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Obstetricians andthe Harvard School of Public HealthAlumni Award of Merit for his contributions to the field of public health. In 2006, Prof. Sai was awarded one of Ghana’s highest National Honours, Order of the Star of Ghana - Member of the Star of Ghana (MSG) Civil Division.  Publications  Prof. Sai has some publications to his credit and these include “Adam and Eve and the Serpent”,dealing with the inequalities and the difficulties faced by African women; and “Fred Sai Speaks Out” which is a collection of essays on his views of the reproductive health field which includes a letter to Pope John Paul II asking for a reconsideration of the Vatican’s anti-contraception and family planning stance. He published his memoirs, With Heart and Voice: Fred Sai Remembers in 2010. The Fred T. Sai Institute (FSI)  FSI is an initiative of the IPPF Africa Region, established in Prof. Sai's honour as a "pioneer public health research institute, championing research on population and sexual reproductive health to generate evidence on effective health strategies aimed at improving the health of the population in sub-Saharan Africa". FSI seeks to bridge this gap through supporting research, modelling and replication of innovative service delivery programs.  The research conducted would generate evidence for sound program design and implementation in the 42 African countries that IPPF Africa Region works in. The Institute provides small grants for postgraduate research to young women and men and it organizes a biennial dissemination forum between academia, NGOs and government to disseminate the findings.   Re-launch of FSI FSI was first launched in 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya. The Institute was re-launched in Accra on 30th July, 2018 by IPPF Africa Region and the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) to enable Prof. Sai to be present and for stakeholders in Ghana to participate in the two-day dissemination forum. The forum saw the first set of five (5) postgraduate students who received funding support from FSI to conduct research in the SRHR, share their findings. It is expected that, these findings would influence policy and advocacy on the African continent and help improve lives of all Africans especially women and children, whom Prof. Sai campaigned for, over the 50 years of his life as an advocate, policy advisor and campaigner. Prof. Sai who was at the Re-launch, said the Institute will foster Africa’s empowerment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  We honour and celebrate you Prof. Fred Sai, our SRHR Champion!                                     Archibald Adams is the Advocacy Coordinator of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, the leading CSOs working in the area of Sexual Reproductive and Health Rights in Ghana. His email address is [email protected]

Introduction  Ghana has a large youthful population between the ages of 15-35 constituting more than 50 percent of the total population according to 2010 population census. Notwithstanding the fact that more than half of the population being youthful, less attention have been given to this cohort group.Youthful period especially adolescents stage is characterized by a lot of confusion since most changes that occur in human growth occur within this period and changes such as physical, biological, psychological and social are evident at this stage.  What is CSE? Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a rights-based and gender-focused approach to sexuality education, whether in school or out of school. It is taught over several years, providing age-appropriate, culturally sensitive and scientifically proved information consistent with the evolving capacities of young people. CSE includes information about human development, anatomy and reproductive health, as well as information about contraception, childbirth and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.CSE is thesystematic approach to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they need to determine and enjoy their sexuality - physically and emotionally, individually and in relationships. CSE encourage confidence and improved communication skills. Lastly CSE addresses gender inequality, vulnerabilities, exclusion and human rights violation, including gender-based violence and sexual abuse.  History of CSE in Ghana The history of CSE in Ghana dates back to the early 1957, where schools were teaching Civics and Hygiene and they covered human biology, personal hygiene and civic responsibilities. After Ghana gained independence in 1957, Civics and Hygiene were taught in schools. In 1967, the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) was established and two years later, a government policy on “Population Planning for National progress”was published. This made Ghana, one of three African countries with a population policy. In the 1970s, PPAG pioneered the in-school teaching of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. In 1972, government introduced the Environmental/Social Studies syllabus, with aspects such as sexual and reproductive health, the family, reproduction and sexuality with emphasis on abstinence. Later in 1987, the government introduced a new Structure of education and with it, came the introduction of Life Skills. In 1998, the Life skills syllabus was replaced with Social Students and was expanded to include issues on HIV and AIDS In 2000, the government published its first Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy (ARHP), which adopted a multi-sectoral approach to addressing adolescent reproductive health issues. The policy explicitly encouraged and led to the inclusion of a reproductive health component in the educational curriculum at the primary, junior high and senior high school levels. In 2013, the National HIV and AIDS, STI Policy advocated for the inclusion of age-appropriate SRH education in the school curriculum, which includes lessons on HIV/AIDS and other STIs. In 2015, the Government revised the ARHP and renamed it, the Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy for Young People in Ghana.The vision for the new policy is “to have young people who are well informed about their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and are healthy.” Benefits of CSE The Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development tasked governments to provide sexuality education to all manner of people including adolescents, specifying that such education should take place both in schools and at the community level, be age-appropriate, begin as early as possible, foster mature decision-making and aim to eliminate gender inequality.  CSE provides an opportunity to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to make responsible choices in their lives, particularly where HIV prevalence is high. Other benefits include abstinence from or delay having sexual relations, avoiding the frequency of unprotected sex when they become sexually active, know the risk of having several sexual partners and so therefore will stick to one partner, understanding the benefits of family planning methods during adulthood stage.  CSE help adolescents understand themselves biologically and prepare to face the world so that they do not fall victim to sexual predators. Researches indicate that adolescents who received CSEs are 50% less likely to experience teenage pregnancy.  Adolescents who have been exposed to CSE know more and feel better prepared to handle different situations and difficult decisions than those who have not. Adolescents who have comprehensive sex education are NOT more likely to become sexually active or experience negative sexual health outcomes; instead, 30% of comprehensive sex education programmes reduce the frequency of sex. Efforts of PPAG  In 2017, a National CSE Guidelines was developed by the National Population Council with support from several CSOs including PPAG and it is being used to develop curriculum for in and school adolescents as well as a training guide for out of school adolescents. The national guidelines has nine broad themes which covers areas including Culture, Values and Attitudes, Keeping Healthy, Human Development and Family and Building Good Relationships with Others.  In 2012, UNESCO and International Planned Parenthood Federation (the mother body of PPAG) started a process of assessing the quality and comprehensiveness of both public and CSO based CSE content and delivery approaches. The objective of this assessment was to help facilitate the review of CSE interventions across the world ensuring that content, approach and targeting met the UNESCO set standards. This led to the development of a CSE Manual called “All-In-One”.  PPAG initiated a similar review process in 2016 within the National context. This lead to the development of the “KnowItOwnItLiveIt” CSE manual for young people, which was launched in May 2017 by the Minister of Education. A large portion of the National Guidelines on CSE was extracted from the manual.  Conclusion It will be recommended that, government treats the inclusion of the CSE National Guidelines into the school curriculum, as a matter of urgency. The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Health and their respective agencies that work in the areas of CSE and the Youth should buy into the adoption of CSE and ensure that, the youth of this country get access to comprehensive and fact based information and services on CSE. The National Youth Authority will be tasked to equip its Youth Leadership Training Institute across the ten regions with the needed structures to educate out of school adolescents on CSE. CSOs should also be trained and registered to reach out to the youth in their areas of operation with CSE. The Media should help explain the importance of CSE to the nation and help clear the myth that, promotion of CSE means promotion of irresponsible sexual behaviours among the youth.  Several researches have shown shows that CSE does not encourage adolescents to engage in sexual activities but rather it gives them the right information on their sexuality and exposes them to the several benefits of staying away from sex.  The era of “Don’t do that or Don’t do this” concerning education on sexuality is over. Adolescents in Ghana need honest and effective CSE to ensure that, they have access to the right information and services on their sexuality. Failing to put in place such a system will not only jeopardize their lives but also that of the country and generations yet unborn.    The author - Archibald Adams - is the Advocacy Coordinator of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), the leading CSO on Sexual Reproductive and Health Rights in Ghana. His email address is [email protected]  

The UPR and its goal The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 United Nations Member States. The UPR is a significant innovation of the Human Rights Council which is based on equal treatment for all countries. It provides an opportunity for all States to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights. The UPR also includes a sharing of best human rights practices around the globe. Currently, no other mechanism of this kind exists. The ultimate goal of UPR is the improvement of the human rights situation in every country with significant consequences for people around the globe. The UPR is designed to prompt, support, and expand the promotion and protection of human rights on the ground. To achieve this, the UPR involves assessing States’ human rights records and addressing human rights violations wherever they occur. The UPR also aims to provide technical assistance to States and enhance their capacity to deal effectively with human rights challenges and to share best practices in the field of human rights among States and other stakeholders. Ghana’s UPR  Ghana appeared for the third time at the UPR in November, 2017, having appeared in 2012 and 2008.  At the 2017 UPR, Ghana’s team was led by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Madam Gloria Akuffo who had to give updates on developments made so far since the 2012 UPR and receive recommendations from UN member states, which will become the yardstick by which Ghana will be reviewed in 2021. On developments made since the 2ndUPR in 2012, the Ghana team gave updates on the Review of the 1992 Constitution, the Death Penalty, the 2016 Elections, the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT), the National End Child Marriage Project, the Capitation Grant for Basic Education, Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), School Feeding Programme, Free School Uniforms, Free Sandals and Free SHS which have been introduced to increase access to and improve quality of education, reduce poverty and promote overall socio economic development.  At the 3rd UPR, Ghana received a total of 241 recommendations, out of which nearly 80 were relevant for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) topics.  SRHR issues were given much more importance during this UPR cycle.  It means that the international community increasingly considers SRHR as a prioritized topic, a trend that Ghana should take duly note of. SRHR issues such as Inclusion of the Clinical Methods of Family Planning in the National Health Insurance Scheme, availability and affordability of contraceptives, the adoption and implementation of the Family Planning Costed Implementation, the adoption of the National Guidelines on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), domestic violence, harmful traditional practices, girls’ access to education, combatting all forms of discrimination based on or related to sex, gender and sexuality and trafficking of persons, among others. PPAG’s Report to the UPR PPAG together with its partners including Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD), Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC), Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA), Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) and Hope For Future Generations (HFFG) submitted a reporting coving SRHR for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The report was developed usinginformation from secondary sources and in– depth interviews with selected implementing institutions/organizations. As part of the process, a stakeholders’ consultative meeting was held to collate inputs on the draft document from relevant stakeholders.  The findings revealed that, Ghana has over the years put in place legal frameworks aimed at protecting the rights of PWDs and these policies and Acts have provided a framework for programming and planning of interventions on SRHR for PWDs. The findings revealed that most of the studies conducted on the SRHR of PWDs focused on their access to services and barriers to accessing services. Barriers to the SRHR needs of PWDs were identified as communication barriers, physical barriers, psychological barriers, social barriers, attitudes by health professionals,illiteracy among deaf people, privacy and confidentiality offered at SRHR centres, and poor interpretation skills of sign language interpreters. The findings also showed that although there seems to be a strong commitment on ensuring that the rights of PWDs are respected and protected, there is little in terms of real actions that have been implemented to address these especially in the area of SRHR in the country. Also, PPAG and partners took part in broader human rights and SRHR dialogues in Ghana and internationally, including the Human Rights Council in Geneva, aiming to highlight the added value of working towards the achievement of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for all Ghanaians (in particular for PWDs, women and girls).  Conclusion With Ghana's UPR outcome to be adopted on 15th March 2018, at the UN Human Rights Council at Geneva, it is expected that government will work with all stakeholders including CSOs to develop the needed structures to implement the accepted recommendations and work at improving general status of human rights in Ghana especially in the area of SRHR for PWDs. Government should not wait till the reporting time, before it generates a report for review. It will be recommended that, a National Dialogue on UPR with relevant stakeholders be organized to properly assess the status of the Human Rights in Ghana before a national report be prepared and submitted in 2021. This will ensure that, the true state of the human rights status is presented. It will also be recommended that, the UPR recommendations that are eventually accepted should be tied alongside with the Medium Term Development Plan, the African Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals, to avoid duplication of efforts.      The author - Archibald Adams - is the Advocacy Coordinator of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, the leading CSO on Sexual Reproductive and Health Rights. His email address is [email protected]

The Youth Action Movement (YAM) -Ghana branch will be having a breakfast meeting on Friday 21 October 2016. The meeting will include the Directors and Southern Zonal Manager of Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG). What: Breakfast meeting Theme: Achieving Where: PPAG Family Health Clinic balcony When: Friday 21October 2016 Time: 8.ooam Contact @PPAG Ghana for more details. PPAG -Sexual Health for Quality Life