Accra:EcoPeriod, a Ghanaian brand specializing in reusable sanitary pads, has called on the government to integrate certified locally produced reusable sanitary pads into the Free Sanitary Pad Policy. The brand argues that this initiative could potentially save the nation GHS132.4 million.
According to Ghana News Agency, Ms. Amdiya Abdul Latiff, Founder and CEO of Eco-Me Africa, the producers of EcoPeriod pads, stated that the current GHS292.4 million allocated to the policy could be used to provide reusable sanitary pad kits to two million schoolgirls for three years. This would leave GHS132.4 million available for investment in school sanitation infrastructure.
Ms. Abdul Latiff made this appeal during the fifth Children Sanitation Festival and the grand finale of the seventh School Sanitation Solutions (Triple S) Challenge held in Accra. The event was organized by World Vision Ghana in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Ghana Education Service, the Zoomlion Foundation, and other partners.
Highlighting the cost-effectiveness of reusable pads, Ms. Abdul Latiff explained that each EcoPeriod kit, costing GHS80, could last for a minimum of three years, unlike disposable sanitary pads which require frequent replacement. She urged the government to incorporate certified locally manufactured reusable pads into the Free Sanitary Pad Policy, which could further help address challenges such as insufficient toilet facilities and the lack of changing rooms for girls in schools.
Furthermore, Ms. Abdul Latiff emphasized the need for the expedited registration of locally manufactured reusable sanitary pads by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to enable their inclusion in the policy. She also called for a costed pilot program with Eco-Me Africa in communities with the greatest need to evaluate the effectiveness of the reusable-pad model.
She described menstrual hygiene as a crucial aspect of school sanitation requiring more attention from policymakers and development partners. Ms. Abdul Latiff cited statistics indicating that over 45 billion disposable menstrual products are used globally each year, with about 90 percent containing plastic materials. She noted that a single woman could use up to 11,000 disposable pads in her lifetime, each taking up to 800 years to decompose.
Ms. Abdul Latiff highlighted that more than 500 million women and girls worldwide lack access to affordable menstrual products, with about 95 percent of girls in Ghana occasionally missing school due to menstruation-related challenges. Eco-Me Africa not only manufactures reusable sanitary pads locally but also trains and employs socially disadvantaged women, providing menstrual and reproductive health education to combat period poverty, menstrual waste, and unemployment.
She called for collaboration among government agencies, development partners, and private-sector organizations to enhance menstrual hygiene management nationwide. Mr. Joshua Baidoo, Interim National Director of World Vision Ghana, pointed out that some school toilet facilities lack changing rooms for girls, making them less accommodating for female students. He stressed the importance of considering the specific needs of girls in efforts to improve school sanitation.
The Triple S Challenge offers schoolchildren a platform to devise practical solutions to sanitation challenges, with the 2026 edition focusing on promoting behavior change among peers, families, and communities. Eco-Me Africa sponsored this year's festival, encouraging young people to become sanitation ambassadors in their schools and communities.