Some students at the Annual Conference of Girls’ Empowerment Platforms in Tamale
ActionAid Ghana (AAG), has organised an Annual Conference of Girls’ Empowerment Platforms on the theme “Invest in Her Future: Mobilising Resources for Quality Girl-Child Education and Transformative Leadership through Gender-Responsive Public Education” in Tamale, Northern Region.
The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for girls to exhibit their knowledge and skills on key issues affecting them, as well as propose strategies/measures to address these challenges identified.
The Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, Mr. John Nkaw, at the conference, indicated that according to UNESCO (2024), about 118.5 million girls worldwide are out of school, 61 million in primary and lower secondary, and 57.5 million in upper secondary.
“Every year, 12 million girls globally become mothers before their 18th birthday (UNFPA). These pregnancies frequently lead to school dropouts, lost opportunities, and a lifetime of economic vulnerability,” he stated.
He noted that according to the Ghana Statistical Service (2023 DHS), 14% of girls aged 15-19 have already given birth, one of the leading causes of dropout in upper basic and secondary school.
“Transition rates remain troubling: while primary enrolment is near universal, only about 43% of girls transition and complete senior high school (MOE, 2023). The World Bank also reports that closing gender gaps in education could add up to $30 trillion in global GDP. This is not just an issue of fairness; it is a global development imperative,” he revealed.
Mr. Nkaw disclosed that the ActionAid Ghana’s new country strategy paper VII seeks to achieve a just, equitable distribution of resources for all, emphasising the importance of quality and gender-responsive public basic education.
“Specifically, strategic priority three outlines AAG’s commitment to fostering active citizenship, accountability, and gender-responsive public services, with a particular emphasis on basic education. This resonates with our work on the empowerment of women and girls and with respect to girls, we have established and built the capacities of Girls’ Empowerment and Advocacy Platforms (GEAPs), formerly Girls’ Clubs, to champion their own development. In rural and northern Ghana, girls’ dropout accelerates due to poverty, child marriage, unpaid care burdens, and harmful norms. UNICEF’s 2024 data indicates that one in every five teenage girls in Northern Ghana has experienced an interruption in schooling due to pregnancy or early marriage,” he disclosed.
The Country Director of ActionAid Ghana called on government to invest more in gender-responsive budgeting that takes care of the special needs of adolescent young girls, data systems as well as provide increased funding for teacher-recruitment, as it is critical for the attainment of government’s educational goals.
“Our partner, the Africa Education Watch, currently suggests that government needs to recruit about 30,000 teachers to address the current trend of teacher shortages in basic schools to achieve quality education,” he stated.
The Northern Regional Education Director, Mr. Alhassan Alidu Junior, said investing in the girl child is a strategic national development priority.
“When you empower girls with education, dignity and leadership opportunities, we build stronger families, resilient communities and more prosperous Ghana. Let us continue to mobilise our collective resources, policies, partnerships and community support to ensure that every girl child in the region and across Ghana realises her potential,” he noted.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale