Africa can only progress if it puts an end to negative traditional practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation and widowhood rites, Gender Minister Otiko Afisa Djaba has said.

According to her, such practices result in the premature termination of future prospects of young children.

She argued that the laws in the constitution must be enforced to rid the society of such backward cultures in order to guarantee the future of the next generation.

“For Africa to arise and take its place in global affairs, we must end child marriage. There is no compromise on that. It is very important for Ghana, and Africa, that we end negative and harmful traditional practices especially child marriage. It steals the destiny of our children. FGM, widowhood rites and all of those negative practices. It’s the constitution that supersedes all our traditional practices and we must enforce them for the sake of the next generation", Otiko Djaba posited.

The Gender Minister who was briefing the press on the upcoming First Ladies’ Conference, has been at the forefront of the fight against early girl child marriages, trokosi and FGM in the country.

The 2018 DUSUSU Africa Gender Minister further urged all Ghanaians to join forces to ease the problems children face daily while pushing for the adoption of special intervention to promote child rights.



Ghana to host First Ladies Conference in August

Ghana will be hosting the First Ladies Conference on ending child marriage and other harmful traditional and cultural practices and the second African Union (AU) Girls Summit in August, 2018.


The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCP) in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo and the AU Commission, would host the two summits in Accra.