MINISTRY OF GENDER ENGAGES FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS & TRADITIONAL LEADERS OF ASHANTI REGION ON SOCIAL PROTECTION

As part of continuous efforts to solicit the support of all FBOs in Ghana to help promote the interest of the vulnerable in the society, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with the Christian Council of Ghana had an engagement with Faith Based Organisation (FBOs) and Traditional Authorities of the Ashanti Region in Kumasi on Tuesday 31^st of July 2018.

The engagement marks the third of its series (after Greater Accra, Volta Region) of the National Engagement with Leaders of Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) and Traditional Leaders.

The objective of the engagement according to Dr. Rita Owusu Amankwah, the Director for social protection, was to strengthen the ministry’s collaboration with the FBOs in order to mainstream social protection into their programmes and policies, and also explore their role in the implementation of the social protection policy.

Hon. Otiko Afisah Djaba, in her address to the participants emphasised the key role the FBOs and traditional leaders as grass root organisations can play in ensuring social protection. “We want to harness the experience you have gained over the years so that this meeting will not only be a collaboration that will enable us to turn around our country, and have a paradigm shift especially for the marginalized, the vulnerable and the extreme poor and persons with disability” she said.

The sector Minister also encouraged the participants to help identify social abuse perpetrators who belong to their religious organisations in order to be given the appropriate sanction or help that will reduce the occurrence of these abuses in the society.

The participants were given an update on the social protection policy and its implantation plan which enabled them deliberate and identify how they can use their influence as FBOs, to champion the agenda of social protection through their policies and programmes.

Meeting with Traditional Queen mothers and Market Queens

Later in the day, Hon. Otiko Afisah Djaba had a familiarisation meeting with the Queen mothers’ association in the Ashanti region. The purpose of the meeting was brief the queen mothers about the programmes of the gender ministry and to also explore how the queen mothers, with their experience and influence, can collaborate with the ministry to deliver its mandate of promoting the interests of the marginalized and vulnerable in the society.

The minister also met with market queen mothers from the Kumasi central market to look at how they work with the ministry to promote economic empowerment of especially women to prevent them from becoming vulnerable in the society.