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Men’s role in quality family life crucial— Discussants at Male Conference

Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa

 

Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, a Commissioner of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), has called on men to be involved in family planning and women empowerment issues for the country to reap the demographic dividend.

Opening the first ever-male conference in Ghana, organised by the National Population Council (NPC), Prof. Akosa said men played a dominant role in decision-making so they should drive the agenda to improve the quality of life.

The conference had “The Role of Men in Sustaining Quality Life for All: A driving Force in National Development” as its theme and aimed at creating a platform for stakeholders to leverage the significant role of men in families to support quality family life.

Population policy
Prof. Akosa said in 1994 the government adopted its second National Population policy with the objective to provide the population with the necessary information and education on the value of a small family size, specifically, and the sexual and reproductive health, in general.

That, he said, was in line with efforts to improve and sustain the quality of life of the people of Ghana and that required the commitment of all sections of the country’s population, especially men, who were often the decision makers of family sizes and the use of contraceptives.

Prof. Akosa reiterated that the revised edition of the 1994 population policy recognised the significant role of men in family welfare and provided several strategies to increase awareness among men of their responsibility for the adequate care of their families.

Health discourse

He stated that including men in the reproductive health discourse had been incorporated in global agreements such as the International Conference of Population and the development, which recognised the role of men.

In a welcome address, Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, the Executive Director of the National Population Council, indicated that the conference sought to scrutinise the role and contribution of men in the attainment of national development.

Dr Appiah said the 2010 Ghana Population and Housing Census revealed males constituted almost 49 per cent of the total population but played a dominant role in decision-making.

The Executive Director indicated that the male conference sought to increase awareness among men of their responsibility for the adequate care of their families and in the reproductive health discourse.

She expressed the hope that the end of the conference would have built consensus on how to maximise the utilisation of limited resources for Family Planning programming in the country.

Role of men
For his part, a playwright and motivational speaker, Mr Ebo Whyte, urged men to redefine their roles in the society by shifting from being ceremonial heads to becoming more responsible family heads.

Mr Abubakar Manu of the School of Public Health, University of Ghana (UG), also said men must create an enabling environment in the home for children to freely ask questions that bothered them.

He noted that adolescents required information and skills, safe and supportive environment, health and counselling services which were vital for their successful transition to adulthood.

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INCEPTION MEETING FOR THE AADPD+5/ICPD+25 GHANA COUNTRY

Introduction

The National Population Council (NPC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) organised an inception meeting at the NDPC’s conference room on 21st March 2018. The meeting was organised to facilitate the development of the Ghana country report on the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development AADPD+5. The country report is a review of the implementation of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development. It identifies gaps and challenges to advance advocacy and policy change to facilitate achievement of national objectives and priorities. In attendance were representatives from relevant government institutions including the Bank of Ghana, Centre for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Mr Isaac Bonso Frempong (NDPC) chaired the meeting.

 

On behalf of the Ag. Director General of NDPC Dr Grace Bediako, Mr Isaac Frempong Director at the NDPC stood in as the chair. He encouraged all attendees to participate fully in the national exercise which is in line with key global and regional frameworks including Agenda 2030 and AU Agenda 2063. Participants later took turns to introduce themselves. In his opening remarks, Mr. Philip Acheampong from the Ministry of Planning (MoP) mentioned that the objective of the inception meeting is to share understanding and to bring on board contributions by stakeholders into the review process within the limited time. Mr. Bawa Amadu of UNFPA in his brief remarks outline the process to be followed in the development of the report

 

  • Presentation

The National Population Council made a presentation on the AADPD +5 review process. The presentation highlighted the progress from the 1994 ICPD PoA to the AADPD, the outline for the country review and the timelines for the process.

The Director Policy, Planning and Programmes in her presentation gave some background information to AADPD+5 and ICPD+25. She mentioned that there have been a 5-year review to assess the ICPD PoA after Cairo to address emerging issues as well as implementation challenges. She explained that the AADPD has seven key pillars and 88 commitments. The Pillars are Dignity and Equality, Health, Place and Mobility, Governance, Data and Statistics, International Partnership, Implementation. She, however, stressed that with regard to the country review, the focus is on the first 6 pillars. The consultants together with participants later developed a workplan for the review.

 

 

 

Way Forward and Timelines

NO. ACTIVITY TIMELINE RESPONSIBILITY
1 Create a Platform for Focal Persons 21/03/18 NPC
2 Request for Information 28/03/18 MoP, NPC
3 Collection of Data and Information 29/03/18 – 15/04/18 All stakeholders
4 Collation of Data and Information into a draft report 26/03/18 – 15/05/18 Consultants
5 Validation Meeting on Draft Report 16-17/05/18 All Stakeholders
6 Finalization of Report 21-28/05/18 Core Group
7 Submit Final Report 29/05/18 Consultant
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Development Of National Population Council Strategic Plan

The National Population Council (NPC) Act, 1994, Act 485 mandates the National NPC to advise Government on population issues in the country. The NPC also has the responsibility to coordinate population programmes, set programme targets and promote the integration of population variables into national development planning to improve the quality of life of the people of Ghana.

In carrying out its mandate, the NPC is guided by the National Population Policy, 1994 and the Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy, 2000, both of which are reflected in the current Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda, 2014-2017.

In 2006, in the bid to set priorities and give direction to its work, the NPC developed the NPC Strategic Plan, 2006-2008. Since then a lot has changed, at the global, regional and national levels, including changing demographic trends and the revision of the National Population Policy and Adolescent Population Policy. This requires a review of the NPC Strategic Plan to make the NPC more relevant to the current development aspirations of the people.

The new strategic plan will redefine “a new relevance” for the role of the NPC in modern Ghana’s development process.

The general objective to develop a new Strategic Plan for the NPC is to ensure an effective coordination of population related programmes and activities in Ghana for the benefit of the of the Ghanaian population. The specific objectives are the following to:

  • Provide an analysis of the political, economic, social and technological situation in Ghana that could impact on the mandate of the NPC
  • Collate views from stakeholders within the population and related fields to inform the new Strategic Plan and
  • Produce a new Strategic Plan for NPC with a goal/outcome, vision, mission, core values and activities to achieve strategic objectives within a set time frame.

Based on the following, a workshop was held at Forest Hotel, Dodowa, on 14th -16th December, 2016 to develop a Strategic Plan for the NPC. Participants involved in the workshop consist of four Council Members, a three member consultants from the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), management and staff Directors and Heads of Units of the National Population Council Secretariat, from  Head Office, Accra and Five Regional Population Officers (Central, Western, Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo and Upper West).

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Visit of USAID Global Youth Coordinator to YOLO Filming Site, 3rd February, 2017

The National Population Council (NPC) in collaboration with its partners, the Palladium Group, Communicate for Health (FHI 360) and USAID organized a visit to the set of the YOLO television drama series   at the Adenta SSNIT Flats area. The purpose of the visit was to afford the USAID Global Youth Coordinator Mr Mike McCabe the opportunity to familiarize himself with the TV drama serial; assess the extent of how sexual Reproductive health has been incorporated into the YOLO TV Series and how USAID Ghana is managing the funds allocated to them.

In attendance were staff of NPC, Ms Joyce Amedoe. Ms Mary Gyasi and Ms Naomi Osei. Also in attendance were Mrs Serwaa Owusu Ansah (Fhi 360), Ms. Salamatu Futa (USAID), Mr. Jacob Larbi (The Palladium Group), the production team from Farm House and some key members of the YOLO cast.

Mr Mike McCabe, in his address to the audience at the site, indicated that there was the need to build the skills of young people and create opportunities for them to enhance their reproductive health wellbeing. He added that adolescence was a period of transition and there was the need for innovative campaigns like the YOLO TV Series which provides the platform for information sharing on reproductive health issues, hygiene and behaviour change.

An interactive session between Mr McCabe and the cast yielded feedback with majority of the cast attesting to the fact that their knowledge on ARH had improved as well as their confidence in speaking about ARH issues.

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Meeting of the National Steering Committee on Adolescent Reproductive Health Programming in Ghana

 A meeting of the National Steering Committee (NSC) on Adolescent Reproductive Health Programming in Ghana was held at the City Escape Hotel, Accra on 8th February 2017. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Kwame Ampomah, Policy Adviser, National Population Council (NPC).

In attendance were the heads of institutions and representatives of key partner agencies in Adolescent Reproductive Health programming in the country, from the public and private sectors, development partners, NGOs, faith based organisations and the media.

The meeting reviewed the Terms of Reference for the Technical Working Groups that would support the work of the NSC. The meeting also provided a platform for partners to share programme updates and also to discuss issues that affect ARH programming in Ghana.

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Capacity Building Workshop for Cast of the “You Only Live Once” (YOLO) Television Drama Serial, 21st to 22nd February, 2017

The National Population Council (NPC), the coordinating agency for the Ghana Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (GHARH) organised a two-day capacity building workshop to build the capacity of the cast of the “You Only Live Once” Television drama serial as ambassadors and role models for adolescent reproductive health issues (ASRH) and the GoodLife Campaign from 21st to 22nd of February, 2017, at the High Gate Hotel, Asylum Down, Accra.The workshop was attended by fifteen members of the cast as well as facilitators from the National Population Council, Ghana Health Service, the Palladium Group and Communicate for Health. The cast were taken through presentations on adolescents and young people in Ghana which highlighted key adolescent reproductive health issues such as abortion, sexual violence, impact of education on ASRH as well as policy and programme interventions using evidence based data. There were also presentations on the roles, rights, responsibilities and advantages of being an ambassador; public speaking; negotiation and decision making skills; the concept of adolescence, the major changes that occur during adolescence as well as the vulnerabilities and risks associated with adolescence.The cast undertook group work and presentation at plenary aimed at enhancing their knowledge and delivery skills with regards to ASRH and other related issues.

Feedback from the cast at the end of the workshop indicated that the issues discussed had been well assimilated. Specifically, the cast intimated that they were now well informed in matters concerning ASRH and related issues such as abstinence, adolescent contraception, HIV/STIs, pregnancy and abortionas well as the Good Life Campaign which focus on issues such as nutrition, sanitation and malaria and reiterated the desire to use their fame as a vehicle to facilitate behavioural change among adolescents and young people.

The Executive Director of the National Population Council (NPC), Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah in her concluding remarks urged the cast to pay critical attention to the content and context of their messages as well as the characteristics of their audience since these factors determines the type of information they would provide. Finally, she expressed the hope that the cast would put to good use what they have learnt during the workshop and eventually boost the image of the YOLO brand and the National Population Council.

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SUMMARY OF THE ADOLESCENT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH WEEK CELEBRATION ORGANISED IN KUMASI, ASHANTI REGION

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collaboration with the National Population Council (NPC), Ghana Education Service (GES), the National Youth  Authority (NYA) and other partners organised and launched the 2017 Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Week on 27th March, 2017 in Kumasi, Ashanti Region under the theme “Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy, a Shared Responsibility”. The ASRH week is celebrated yearly to raise awareness on sexual and reproductive health issues and challenges facing adolescents and young people in Ghana.

As part of the celebration, several activities were organised prior to the Launch of the ASRH Week, from 22nd to 27th March, 2017. As a key partner, the NPC actively participated in the celebrations including school and community outreach programmes, ASRH Fair and radio discussions involving the YOLO cast. Issues discussed during these activities evolved around adolescent pregnancy, ASRH challenges of adolescents and counselling.

The NPC, GHS, GES/SHEP, the Palladium Group, selected NGOs and the YOLO cast who are ASRH ambassadors undertook outreach programmes to four schools comprising three Senior High Schools (SHS) and one Junior High School (JHS) in and around the Kumasi Metropolis. The names of the schools are Kumasi Academy SHS, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) SHS, Weweso JHS and AfuaKobiAmpem SHS.

An ASRH Fair was organised at the Manhyia Health Centre as part of the activities. At the Fair,  counselling and educational information on ASRH issues were provided to both the JHS and SHS students present. There were facilitators/ resource persons to guide the discussions.

The NPC and the YOLO cast actively participated in some radio panel discussions organised by the GHS to increase awareness on the relevance of the theme of the ASRH Week celebration. The panel discussions were held on three radio stations namely Otec FM, Kessben FM and Kapital Radio in the Kumasi Metropolis. The issues discussed evolved around adolescent pregnancy and the ASRH issues portrayed in the YOLO TV serial.

The Launch of ASRH Week

The Launch was attended by over 600 participants from the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs. Also in attendance were representatives from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions. The national level representations were from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), National Youth Authority (NYA) National Population Council (NPC) and Ghana Education Service.  The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) were represented by Hope for Futures Generations (HFFG) and Maries Stopes International Ghana (MSIG). The keynote address was delivered by Her Excellency, Samira Bawumia, Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana.Also partners and dignitaries including the Executive Director of the NPC, Dr. Leticia Adelaide Appiah delivered messages during the programme. There were with cultural displays, poetry recitals and a brief role play by the YOLO cast (ASRH ambassadors).