The Network of Women in Broadcasting (NOWIB) played a key role in the validation workshop for Ghana’s National Framework for Coordination of Gender Equality, held on 13 August 2025, at Crystal Palm Hotel, Tesano, Accra.
The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and brought together government officials, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional leaders, and media representatives to validate a comprehensive framework aimed at strengthening coordination for gender equality and women’s empowerment across Ghana.
NOWIB General Secretary, Bridget Mensah, represented the organisation at this important national dialogue, where she successfully advocated for better media representation in Ghana’s gender coordination structure. The organisation’s participation shows its commitment to advancing gender equality through strategic media engagement and policy influence.
“This framework represents a transformative opportunity to address the fragmented coordination challenges that have historically hindered effective gender mainstreaming in Ghana,” said Bridget Mensah. “NOWIB is proud to contribute to this national effort and looks forward to playing an active role in its implementation.”
The National Framework for Coordination of Gender Equality addresses several critical challenges identified by stakeholders, including fragmented institutional frameworks across government agencies, weak gender mainstreaming efforts by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, limited coordination between national, regional and district levels, insufficient community engagement in gender policy discussions, and overlapping development partner interventions.
During the validation process, NOWIB successfully advocated for media integration through the inclusion of media representatives in regional and district coordination structures to ensure effective communication and public awareness of gender equality initiatives. The organisation also pushed for enhanced representation standards with minimum Deputy Director level representation for Regional Coordinating Councils to ensure adequate decision-making authority.
NOWIB also supported expanded stakeholder participation through the integration of NADMO and EPA representatives for comprehensive disaster risk reduction and environmental considerations in gender programming, strengthened traditional leadership with balanced representation including traditional leaders and Queen Mothers associations in coordination mechanisms, and improved operations through bi-annual coordination meetings with provisions for emergency sessions and integration of robust monitoring and evaluation systems.
The framework validation comes at a significant time for Ghana’s gender equality agenda. As noted by Madam Selina Owusu, UNFPA Representative, Ghana has made remarkable progress in gender justice, including the passage of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act in 2024 and the historic election of the country’s first female Vice President.
Madam Faustina Acheampong, Director of the Department of Gender at MOGCSP, emphasised that the framework responds to the long-standing need for a cohesive national structure to effectively manage collaboration among stakeholders in promoting gender equality. The Ministry, supported by UNFPA in 2024, developed this framework to ensure harmonised, strategic and impactful interventions whilst avoiding duplication of efforts.
The validated framework establishes a three-tier coordination structure. At the national level, it includes a Sector-wide Strategy and Policy Advisory Group, Development Partners Gender Equality Sector Thematic Group, National Technical Working Group on Gender Equality, and National Thematic Cluster Platform. At the regional level, it features a Regional Technical Working Group and Regional Thematic Cluster Platform. At the district level, it comprises a District Technical Working Group and District Thematic Cluster Platform.
As Ghana moves towards implementing this coordinated approach to gender equality, NOWIB commits to active participation in framework implementation, supporting capacity building initiatives for media practitioners on gender-sensitive reporting, leveraging media platforms to amplify gender equality messages, and contributing to monitoring and evaluation of coordination effectiveness.
The Network of Women in Broadcasting is Ghana’s premier organisation dedicated to advancing women’s rights and gender equality through media advocacy, capacity building, and strategic policy engagement. Founded to promote women’s participation in media and amplify women’s voices in national discourse, NOWIB continues to play a crucial role in Ghana’s gender equality landscape.
The organisation’s participation in this national framework validation demonstrates its commitment to systemic change and its recognition as a key stakeholder in Ghana’s gender equality architecture.
The validated framework will undergo final refinements incorporating stakeholder feedback before official adoption. NOWIB anticipates playing an active role in the framework’s implementation, particularly in areas related to media engagement, communication strategies, and community outreach.
