Nalerigu: Stakeholders in the North East Region have undergone training on Gender-Transformative Approaches (GTA) to strengthen their capacity on how to address gender inequalities and gender-based violence (GBV). The day's training, organised by the Department of Gender and the North East Regional Coordinating Council with support from the United Nations Population Fund, brought together District Planning Officers, Gender Desk Officers, Ghana Health Service staff, Ghana Education Service Girl-Child Education Officers, and other key stakeholders.
According to Ghana News Agency, the training aimed to enhance participants' understanding of GTA and its relevance to preventing and responding to GBV while strengthening their capacity to integrate gender-transformative programming into routine sectoral plans and services. It also provided a platform for stakeholders from the health, education, justice, social protection, and community development sectors to examine social, cultural, and institutional factors contributing to gender inequality and GBV in the region.
The collaboration among stakeholders was strengthened, encouraging them to develop context-specific actions to address gender inequality, GBV, child marriage, and other harmful practices in their respective districts. Participants were introduced to Ghana's GTA roadmap and process as well as core principles including critical examination of gender norms, addressing unequal power relations, and empowering marginalised groups.
The training also featured group discussions, where participants used the problem-tree approach to identify the root causes of gender inequalities within institutional interventions and community settings. Madam Safia Tamimu, Gender Specialist, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, emphasized the need for stakeholders to examine the social norms and power relations that perpetuated discrimination and violence.
Madam Tamimu highlighted the importance of incorporating GTA into community and institutional interventions to promote gender equality and protect vulnerable groups. She expressed appreciation to the UNFPA for its interventions aimed at protecting children and ending child marriage, noting that the training would deepen stakeholders' understanding of the relationship between gender inequality, child marriage, and teenage pregnancy.
Madam Bushira Alhassan, Acting Northern Regional Director, Department of Gender, stressed the importance of engaging men and boys on shared responsibility, respect, and equality, as well as promoting positive masculinities. She said such interventions were critical to transforming community attitudes and behaviours that sustained GBV and child marriage.
Madam Alhassan pointed out that institutional and structural change involved reforming systems and policies, citing Ghana's National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage 2017-2026 and its Operational, Monitoring and Evaluation Plan 2025-2026 as key policy anchors. She noted that when effectively applied, GTA could contribute to improved well-being, equal opportunities, inclusive leadership, stronger communities, and sustainable development.
She acknowledged that challenges such as resistance to change, resource constraints, and the need for strong partnerships and leadership could affect the effective implementation of gender-transformative interventions. Mr Samson Kpanob, representing the North East Regional Coordinating Council, lauded the training, saying it had highlighted how harmful socio-cultural norms continued to reinforce unequal gender roles and power relations, contributing to the persistence of violence against women and girls.
Mr Kpanob also identified parental neglect and peer influence among the underlying factors that could contribute to gender-related inequalities and vulnerabilities. He urged stakeholders to translate the knowledge gained into practical interventions that would address harmful gender norms and strengthen protection mechanisms for women, girls, and other vulnerable groups in the region.