Month: May 2025

Introduction

On Thursday, the 23rd of April, 2025, the Government of Ghana unveiled its Free Sanitary Pad Initiative, a program intended to keep girls in school and uphold the dignity of menstrual health.

Though late, Ghana’s initiative joins a growing global movement recognizing menstrual health as a right, not a privilege. Countries like South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, and Zambia are already providing free pads to curb absenteeism and protect girls from exploitation.

Further afield, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States, France, and South Korea have embraced similar policies, ensuring young women are no longer penalized for nature’s design. In West Africa, Ghana now steps forward as a pacesetter. The promise is bright — but only if we nurture it wisely.

As a woman, a mother, and a legislator, my heart should be brimming with pride. Instead, it aches with worry.

The intentions behind this policy are noble. No girl should be forced to miss school or resort to rags, leaves, or bits of mattress foam during her period. But good intentions, without careful execution, often pave the way to bitter disappointment. Unless urgent corrections are made, this initiative risks becoming a national symbol of mismanagement, lost opportunity, and broken promises.

The Perils of Poor Planning

1. The Math Doesn’t Add Up

The government has earmarked GH¢292.4 million for 2 million girls, about GH¢146 per girl annually. Yet a single pack of quality pads costs between GH¢15 and GH¢40 monthly. Even the simplest arithmetic reveals the budget falls dangerously short. Is this a genuine intervention, or a political gimmick dressed in the cloth of compassion?

2. A Tale of Two Ghanas: The North Forgotten Again

The girls who need these interventions most are those in the five northern regions, where poverty is cruel. Launch events and early distributions are always centered in Accra. Videos have already surfaced of boys in better-endowed urban schools misusing free pads for play, while girls in Zebilla, Bunkpurugu, and Savelugu among others are left waiting. Is this the equity we claim to champion?

3. Toilets Matter Too

According to a 2024 report by the NGO, SEND Ghana, 63% of basic schools in the country lack access to adequate toilets and essential WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) facilities. Therefore, it is not enough to simply place a sanitary pad in a young girl’s hand; without safe and private spaces to change, wash her hands, and manage her menstruation with dignity. The gift of a pad can become a burden rather than a blessing. In the absence of clean water, hygienic toilets, and proper disposal systems, hope quietly crumbles into humiliation, stripping girls of their confidence when they need it most.

Looming Challenges

Without serious rethinking, the programme faces grim prospects:

1. Delayed Supplies:

Like other government interventions, pads may arrive late, failing girls when they need them most.

2. Poor Quality:

Rushed procurement risks flooding schools with unsafe, substandard products.

3. Corruption and Diversion:

Without strong tracking, pads may be stolen and resold — another betrayal of trust.

4. Dependency, Not Dignity:

Handing out disposable pads year after year, without building resilience or infrastructure, fosters dependency.

5. Volatile Government funding:

Worse still, the programme’s reliance on volatile government funding, without a sustainable financing model, leaves its future dangling by a thread.

A Blueprint for Success: Solutions for a Dignified Policy

1. Build Factories, Not Dependence

Revive Ghana’s cotton industry, especially in the North. Resurrect the dormant cotton factory in Tumu, and establish pad-manufacturing hubs in Savelugu and Tamale. Let Ghanaian girls use Ghanaian-made products, weaving pride and empowerment into every pad.

2. Remove Taxes on Sanitary Products

It is a quiet cruelty that sanitary pads are taxed like luxury goods. Menstrual products are necessities, not privileges. Zero-rate sanitary products and remove import duties and hidden fees because dignity should never be taxed.

3. Prioritize the Poorest First

Use data from Ghana Education Service (GES), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and the LEAP programme to target the most vulnerable first — rural girls, girls with disabilities, and the marginalized. No child should be invisible.

4. Fix School Infrastructure

Direct the GETFund and WASH initiatives to build gender-friendly toilet facilities, with running water and disposal units, in every school no later than 2026. A pad without privacy is an empty promise and an achievement not worth celebrating.

5. Sustainable Funding and Accountability

Dedicate 1% of VAT revenue to menstrual health. Deploy blockchain technology to transparently track procurement and distribution. Publish real-time reports to earn and keep the public’s trust.

A Call to Action

To President Mahama:

Publish a detailed, costed implementation plan. Launch pilot programs first in the five northern regions to refine systems before national roll-out. Involve civil society, traditional leaders, and local assemblies as true partners and not spectators.

To Every Citizen:

Demand accountability. Speak out against diversion and corruption. Support local pad producers. Break the silence around menstruation in homes, schools, and public spaces.

Conclusion: Turning Rhetoric into Results

This initiative is bold, visionary, and filled with hope. But hope alone is not enough. If properly implemented, this policy can transform communities, fuel local industry, and protect dreams. If mishandled, it will be another promise squandered.

Our girls deserve better. They deserve not just pads but dignity. Not just words

Hon. Hajia Fatahiya Abdul Aziz,
Member of Parliament(Savelugu ),
Deputy Ranking to the Committee on Gender, Children and Social Welfare

Hajia Fatahiya Abdul Aziz is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Savelugu in the Northern Region. She has expressed concerns about President John Dramani Mahama’s Free Sanitary Pads initiative.

While she commended the initiative’s good intentions, Hajia Fatahiya warned that poor execution could lead to “bitter disappointment.”

“Good intentions, without careful execution, often pave the way to bitter disappointment,” she remarked in an article.

The Savelugu MP, serving as the Deputy Ranking Member on the Gender, Children, and Social Welfare Committee of Parliament, proposed a more targeted approach. The approach starts with the five northern regions—Northern, Upper East, Upper West, North East, and Savannah. These regions are known for their high levels of poverty and underdevelopment. She also called for improvements in school hygiene facilities.

The NPP MP highlighted several challenges. These included funding gaps, geographic disparities, and inadequate infrastructure. They questioned whether the initiative was a genuine effort or a “political gimmick dressed in the cloth of compassion.”

Hajia Fatahiya recommended the local production of sanitary pads. She also suggested tax exemptions on hygienic products. Additionally, she proposed data-driven strategies to effectively target vulnerable girls.

She also proposed improving school infrastructure. She suggested establishing gender-friendly toilets. Additionally, she recommended allocating one per cent of VAT revenue to support menstrual health.

The MP urged President Mahama to ensure a well-detailed implementation plan. He should initiate pilot phases in the northern regions. Civil society organizations should be involved in the program’s rollout.

“Our girls deserve more than promises — they deserve dignity,” she concluded.