GHANA. National Population Policy, 1994. (National Population Policy
[Revised Edition, 1994], Accra, Ghana, National Population Council, 1994. 56
p.)
Preface
The Government of Ghana
issued a definitive policy on population in March 1969. This document, entitled "Population
Planning for National Progress and Prosperity:
Ghana Population Policy," not only defined Government's policy on
population but also affirmed Government's commitment to adopt and implement
appropriate strategies and programmes to manage population resources in a
manner consistent with Government's ultimate objective of accelerating the pace
of economic modernisation and improving the quality of life of Ghanaians.
Some twenty-five years after
this policy was first promulgated, the country's rate of population growth
still remains at an unacceptably high level, and the population factor
continues to act as a serious impediment to the country's march towards
economic modernisation, sustainable development and eradication of poverty.
The reasons for this are
complex and diverse. It has therefore
become imperative that policy makers take a critical look at the original
policy document to redefine or clarify its objectives, institute measures or programmes
to correct present inadequacies in implementation strategies, and to
re-emphasize the basic principles and goals which the earlier population policy
set out to achieve.
Another important rationale
for undertaking the revision of the 1969 document is the emergence of new
concerns which attracted very little or no attention in the past either because
some, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) were then not known or others, such as teenage pregnancy, pollution,
degradation of the environment and drug abuse were not perceived as serious
societal problems.
This revised population
policy is in many ways a remarkable document, principally because it presents
an innovative experiment in grassroots participation in policy
formulation. The main tenets,
principles, strategies and programmes enunciated in this document emerged
through debates, discussions and consultations with a wide spectrum of
institutions and individual Ghanaians from all walks of life and from every
part of the country.
The Policy represents
therefore the collective will of the people and the expression of their
determination and commitment to the principle that a well-managed population
resource is a fundamental requirement for sustainable development.
The progress and prosperity
of our country and of future generations therefore depend to a great extent on
how we as a people dedicate ourselves to the achievement of the objectives and
goals enunciated in this policy.
I therefore urge every citizen,
and all the institutions and agencies, both Governmental and non-Governmental,
which are involved in the implementation of this policy to work collectively
together to ensure that the nation attains the targets specified in the policy
document.
On my own behalf and that of
my Government, I pledge our wholehearted support and commitment to the
principles, goals and objectives of the revised National Population Policy.
It is my privilege and honour
to recommend this revised Policy to the people of Ghana.
* * *
4.0 National Population Policy Goals, Objectives and Targets
4.1 The 1969 Population Policy in Retrospect
After more than two decades
of the 1969 Population Policy, the limited evidence available suggests that
Ghana's population programme has made only modest gains. One major long-term objective was to reduce
the population growth rate from nearly 3 per cent in 1969 to 1.7 per cent by
the year 2000. In 1993, only seven
years to the target date, the rate of growth is still around 3.0 per cent, and
the results of the 1993 GDHS show only a moderate decline of the TFR to 5.5.
Several factors account for
the poor performance of the 1969 policy.
The absence of a well-articulated and co-ordinated institutional
machinery to translate policy objectives into programmable action plans has
been identified as one of the most serious constraints to the success of the
1969 policy.
Other factors are inadequate
knowledge about population and development interrelationships, inadequate
funding and the absence of community participation and support at the
grassroots level.
4.2 Population Policy Goals
The following are the goals
of the revised population policy:
4.2.1 A national population policy and programme are to be developed as
organic parts of social and economic planning and development activity. Programmes are to be formulated through the
collaborative participation of national, regional and district entities, both
public and private, and representatives of all relevant professions, agencies,
institutions and organisations.
4.2.2 Measures will be taken to improve the standards of living and the
quality of life of the people. To this
end, policies will be pursued to alleviate mass poverty among the people and
enhance the welfare of the population at large.
4.2.3 The vigorous pursuit of programmes to reduce further the very
high rates of morbidity and mortality and the promotion of reproductive and
sexual health generally for all including adolescents will be an important
aspect of population policy and programmes.
4.2.4 Recognizing the crucial importance of a wide understanding of the
deleterious effects of unlimited population growth and the means by which
couples can safely and effectively control their fertility, Government will
vigorously promote as well as encourage others to undertake programmes to
provide information, advice and assistance to couples wishing to space or limit
their reproduction. These programmes
will be voluntary rather than coercive.
4.2.5 Steps will be taken to promote the health and welfare of mothers
and children especially through preventing premature illness, unsafe abortions
and premature deaths.
4.2.6 Measures will be instituted by Government in collaboration with
traditional authorities and other interested organisations or institutions to
enhance the status of women in society.
This will be done through a wide range of measures such as the
elimination of all discriminatory laws and cultural practices which are
inimical to the general well-being and self-esteem of women; to promote wider
productive and gainful employment for women; to increase the proportion of
females entering and completing at least senior secondary school; to develop a
wider range of non-domestic roles for women; and to examine the structure of Government
conditions of employment and if necessary change them in such ways as to
minimize their pro-natalist effects.
4.2.7 Government will adopt policies and establish programmes to guide
the spatial distribution of population in the interest of development. Such policies will in part be geared towards
a more even distribution of population between urban and rural and within urban and rural areas.
4.2.8 Government will adopt policies and embark upon programmes to
ensure the best possible parental maintenance and care of children. This will involve programmes to improve the
education, health, and income-earning capacity of parents, especially
mothers. Legislation and other measures
will also be adopted to prevent all forms of child abuse and eliminate
socio-cultural practices which are particularly harmful to the girl child.
4.2.9 Policies will be adopted to ensure the adequate upkeep and full
integration of the aged and persons with disabilities into the society and
facilitate the adoption of children.
For persons with disabilities, the policies will spell out ways of
creating opportunities for them to contribute their quota towards national
development and thereby enhance their chances of leading normal lives. To this end the Community Based Rehabilitation
(CBR) concept evolved by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be vigorously
propagated and implemented. Appropriate
policy environment will also be created to enable the aged [to] feel secure and
useful in society.
4.2.10 The Government will institute a land classification scheme to
delineate vulnerable environments for protection. Land management policies which will facilitate sustainable
economic growth based on [a] new assessment of carrying capacity as well as
development and promotion of technologies to protect the environmental
resources of the country will also be pursued.
The Ghana Environmental Action Plan of 1990 which includes Environmental
Impact Assessment would be vigorously implemented. In view of the immense benefits that can be derived from solar
energy, appropriate research will be conducted into its extensive utilisation
wherever possible.
4.2.11 Government and Parliament will amend or repeal those laws that
are inimical to the policy as well as promulgate or amend favourable ones so as
to strengthen their effectiveness in assisting the implementation of the
policy.
4.2.12 Measures will be taken to promote the equality of all citizens
under the law and create equal opportunities for all under the law.
4.2.13 Measures will be taken to strengthen the institutional
capabilities of the National Population Council and the National Development
Planning Commission to promote integrated population and development planning
and programming at national, regional and district levels.
4.2.14 Government will continue to establish and maintain regular
contact with the development and management of population programmes throughout
the world through intensified relationships with international public and
private organizations concerned with population issues.
4.3 Population Policy Objectives
In pursuit of the above
goals, the Population Policy for Ghana shall adopt the following objectives:
4.3.1 To ensure that population issues are systematically integrated in
all aspects of development planning and activity at all levels of the
administrative structure.
4.3.2 To enhance integrated rural and urban development in order to
improve living conditions, particularly in the rural areas, and to moderate and
re-orient inter-regional as well as rural-urban migration, including the
establishment of growth centres.
Programmes to alleviate poverty both in the rural and urban areas would
be vigorously pursued.
4.3.4 To promote, clarify and sharpen the awareness and understanding
among opinion leaders and the public at large of population issues and the
implications of rapid population growth.
4.3.5 To provide the population with the necessary information and
education on the value of a small family size specifically, and sexual and
reproductive health in general.
4.3.6 To ensure accessibility to, and affordability of, family planning
means and services for all couples and individuals to enable them [to] regulate
their fertility.
4.3.7 To educate the youth on population matters which directly affect
them such as sexual relationships, fertility regulation, adolescent health,
marriage and child bearing, in order to guide them towards responsible
parenthood and small family sizes.
4.3.8 To provide fertility management programmes that will respond to
the needs of sterile and sub-fertile couples to achieve satisfactory
self-fulfilment.
4.3.9 To educate the general population on the need to conserve the
environment as well as promote environmental quality.
4.3.10 To promote sound social welfare programmes that would take care
of the special needs of the youth, the aged, persons with disabilities and
other vulnerable groups.
4.3.11 To develop programmes aimed at the empowerment of women to
increase their participation in the modern sector, engage in income-generating
activities, and enhance their economic well-being generally.
4.3.12 To integrate family planning services into maternal and child
health care services so as to reduce infant, child and maternal morbidity and
mortality.
4.3.13 To educate the general population about the causes, consequences
and prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
4.3.14 To ensure that the Law Reform Commission, Parliament and other
law-making agencies are well sensitized on population issues so that the law
will serve as an effective instrument for promoting the objectives of the
Population Policy.
4.3.15 To achieve a more even distribution of the population between
rural and urban areas, and to monitor international migration.
4.3.16 To stem the "brain-drain" of professionals and other
skilled people leaving the country.
4.4 Population Policy Targets
The main targets for the
population policy are:
4.4.1 To reduce the total fertility rate (i.e., the number of children
a woman is likely to have during her reproductive years) from 5.5 to 5.0 by the
year 2000, 4.0 by 2010 and 3.0 by 2020.
The policy will accordingly aim at achieving a Contraceptive Prevalence
Rate (CPR) of 15 per cent for modern methods by the year 2000, 28 per cent by
2010 and 50 per cent by 2020.
4.4.2 To reduce the present annual population growth rate of about 3
per cent to 1.5 per cent by 2020.
4.4.3 To reduce the proportion of women who marry before the age of 18
years by 50 per cent by the year 2000 and by 80 per cent by the year 2020.
4.4.4 To reduce the proportion of women below 20 years and above 34
years having births to 50 per cent by the year 2010 and to 80 per cent by 2020.
4.4.5 To increase the coverage of supervised deliveries to 80 per cent
of all expected deliveries by 2010.
4.4.6 To achieve minimum birth spacing of at least two years for all
birth intervals by the year 2020.
4.4.7 To increase the proportion of 15 - 19 year old female[s] with
secondary and more education to 50 per cent by the year 2005 and to 80 per cent
by 2020.
4.4.8 To achieve full immunization for 80 per cent of infants (0-11
months) by the year 2020.
4.4.9 To reduce the infant mortality rate from its current level of
about 66 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 44 in 2005 and to 22 in 2020.
4.4.10 To reduce the maternal mortality rate from its estimated current
level of about 220 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 75 per cent by
the year 2020.
4.4.11 To increase life expectancy of the population from its current
level of about 58 years to 65 years by the year 2010 and to 70 years by 2020.
4.4.12 To make family planning services available, accessible and
affordable to at least half of all adults by the year 2020.
5.0 Implementation Strategies
Efforts shall be made to
ensure the integration of population variables in all aspects of national
development planning and programmes within the context of the national
decentralization policy. In order to
realise the goals, objectives and targets set by the Policy the following
implementation strategies shall be pursued.
5.1 Maternal
and Child Health (MCH)
The main thrust of strategies
in the area of MCH will be to reduce the high infant, childhood and maternal
morbidity and mortality rates, especially in the rural and sub-urban areas,
using the most cost-effective strategies within the context of the Primary
Health Care programme.
5.1.1 Safe motherhood programmes will be expanded and implemented to
help reduce the incidence of high risk births which occur below the age of 20
years, over the age of 35 years, at intervals less than two years and among
women who have already had four or more births.
5.1.2 Government shall accelerate immunization, oral rehydration
therapy, birth spacing, breastfeeding and other child survival strategies in
collaboration with the private sector, NGOs and donor agencies.
5.1.3 Infant/Child and maternal morbidity and mortality are related to
the mother's level of education and other socio-economic factors such as income
levels. Government shall intensify
efforts to raise the educational level of females through both formal and
non-formal means and the economic status of women through viable schemes and
integrated programmes.
5.1.4 MCH policies and programmes will be implemented as integral parts
of a broad-based strategy of promoting reproductive and sexual health of all
including adolescents.
5.2 Family Planning and Fertility Regulation
A wide gap exists between the
high knowledge of family planning and low contraceptive practice as revealed by
both the Ghana Fertility Survey of 1970-80 and the 1988/1993 Ghana Demographic
and Health Surveys. Current maternal
and child health activities shall be expanded to provide much wider
availability of family planning services.
In addition to Government efforts, the capability of private
participating agencies and community-based family planning activities shall be
improved and expanded.
5.2.1 In view of the current low mean age of 18 years at first marriage
for females, national programmes, especially through education, shall aim at
raising the age at first marriage to at least 20 years.
5.2.2 Government shall ensure the availability and accessibility of
family planning services to all who seek such services at affordable prices and
on a voluntary basis.
5.2.3 Family planning services shall continue to include services to
sterile and sub-fertile couples as well as individuals who wish to have
children to achieve self-fulfilment.
5.2.4 Family Planning Programmes shall make available a variety of
methods of fertility regulation to ensure free and conscious choice by
all. The activities of family planning
clinics and commercial distribution outlets shall be intensified at national,
regional and district levels.
5.2.5 Special attention shall be paid to educating and motivating the
population at community level on the health, social and demographic values of
family planning.
5.2.6 Where possible, family planning education shall be incorporated
into both formal and informal training programmes.
5.2.7 Special emphasis on IEC programmes shall be provided to reach the
male population in their homes, clubs and associations on the health, social
and economic hazards of prolific child bearing and on the need of the male
population to assume greater responsibility for the upkeep of their wives and
children. Family planning services
specifically directed at male clients shall be vigorously pursued.
5.2.8 Family planning programmes shall be made more responsive to local
cultural values and individual couples' preferences.
5.2.9 Efforts shall be made to improve planning, funding and management
of agencies devoted to family planning for more effective implementation of
maternal and child health as well as family planning programmes.
5.2.10 Efforts shall be made to link plans with budgets to consolidate
existing service capacities, to co-ordinate manpower planning and training, to
mobilize additional domestic and external resources and to improve cost
effectiveness, the monitoring and the evaluation of the family planning
programme.
5.3 Health and Welfare
The following strategies
shall be adopted to promote the health and welfare of Ghanaians:
5.3.1 The reduction of mortality shall be pursued along with programmes
designed to reduce fertility. Emphasis
shall be placed on environmental health and on health promotion and protection
as enunciated in the Primary Health Care System adopted by Government in 1979.
5.3.2 The vigorous implementation of a National Health Policy shall be
pursued. The implementation of the
Primary Health Care System as the main focus of health care delivery in Ghana
shall be intensified. Maximum community
participation in the formulation and management of health services shall be
promoted.
5.3.3 Health policies and programmes shall continue to be integrated
into sectors such as education, agriculture, employment, urban/rural and
regional planning.
5.3.4 Steps shall be taken to ensure an equitable distribution of
health facilities, services and personnel throughout Ghana.
5.3.5 Efforts will be made to improve harvesting, storage, processing
and distribution of food crops to ensure adequate nutritional status for all
segments of the population.
5.3.6 To collaborate with appropriate environmental health related
agencies to develop programmes for the provision of safe community water
supplies, safe disposal of solid and liquid wastes, for the provision of good
housing, the improvement of food hygiene and the development of programmes for
the monitoring and control of environmental pollution.
5.3.7 To promote tt to community levels and to
strengthen planning, monitoring and evaluation of integrated health services at
all levels.
5.3.9 To develop appropriate logistic support and supply systems to
ensure adequate quantities of drugs and equipment for health services at all
times.
5.3.10 To review, revise and enact appropriate legislative measures for
health and to promote inter-sectoral co-ordination and co-operation in health
matters.
5.3.11 To develop effective and efficient systems for the surveillance,
prevention and control of communicable diseases of social and economic
significance, including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The National AIDS Control Programme shall
continue to be vigorously implemented through intensified nationwide public
education activities at all levels.
5.4 Food
and Nutrition
Agricultural production has
barely kept pace with the demands of an increasing population. As a result poor nutrition is widespread
throughout the country.
5.4.1 Steps shall be taken to strengthen, promote and sustain increased
food production and land productivity through the introduction of appropriate
high-yielding, quick maturing and disease-resistant plant strains and animal
breeds, in order to enhance the nutritional status of the population.
5.4.2 To stimulate agricultural production through better pricing and
marketing and incentives systems.
5.4.3 To promote the use of appropriate technology at all levels of
production, processing, storage, and distribution, and to ensure food security
at household, community and national levels.
5.4.4 To integrate family life education into agricultural extension
services.
5.4.5 To promote the development of appropriate programmes for reducing
the incidence and prevalence of nutritional disorders.
5.4.6 Efforts shall be made to provide systematic education on food and
nutrition in all institutions of learning.
Special attention shall be paid to the needs of children, pregnant
women, lactating mothers, the aged, and persons with disabilities.
5.4.7 To evolve and implement a comprehensive food and nutrition policy
that takes cognisance of the wide-ranging needs of various segments of the
population, especially the poor.
5.5 Education
The role of education in
socio-economic development and in changing individual attitudes and behaviour
cannot be overemphasized. For the
educational sector the following strategies shall be pursued:
5.5.1 Subject to the availability of resources, free and compulsory
universal basic education shall be provided.
Policies and programmes that encourage girls to continue schooling up to
at least the secondary school level will be vigorously pursued.
5.5.2 Special programmes shall be developed to improve the low
enrollment rate as well as reduce the high school drop-out rate through
practical and technical training that will provide ample opportunities for
gainful self-employment.
5.5.3 Population and family life education shall be incorporated into
formal, informal and out-of-school training to prepare the youth for
responsible parenthood.
5.5.4 Efforts will be made to promote adult education as well as basic
and functional literacy with a bias towards the maintenance of family values,
reproductive health, population and development interrelationships.
5.6 Empowerment
of Women
Women play an important role
in the socio-economic development of this country. To further encourage the full participation of women in national
development, the following actions shall be pursued:
5.6.1 (a) Strategies shall be
evolved to ensure an improvement in the status of women through the removal of
various traditional, legal, administrative and cultural barriers to their
effective participation in nation building.
(b) Programmes shall be pursued to improve and protect the legal
rights of women. All forms of
discrimination against women shall be eliminated as provided for in
international conventions to which Ghana is a signatory .
(c) Negative traditional gender norms and customs shall be reviewed
and where necessary, abolished. This
will be done through the Houses of Chiefs, religious leaders, opinion leaders,
community elders and other concerned groups and institutions.
(d) Programmes shall be introduced for the removal of deep-seated
gender discrimination tendencies through an intensive awareness programme for
all policy-makers and for the population at large.
(e) Laws made to protect the interests of women, such as those
relating to Intestate Succession (PNDC Laws 111-114), shall be periodically
reviewed and amended to enhance the well-being and rights of women.
5.6.2 Day-care centres for nursing mothers shall be provided at all vantage
points in all sectors of the economy and especially in the urban areas.
5.6.3 Programmes to reduce the heavy burden of work of rural women
shall include the introduction of appropriate labour-saving technology in
agriculture, industry and in the home.
5.6.4 Training programmes shall be set up for women in such ventures as
domestic and village crafts, agro-based and small-scale industries to foster
women's economic development and to introduce them to the use of technological
tools.
5.6.5 Affirmative action programmes shall be introduced where necessary
to guarantee equal and equitable opportunities for both the sexes in education,
employment, housing and business.
5.6.6 Publicity campaigns shall be made to arouse awareness of the
public about the hazards of high fertility and high-risk pregnancies in women.
5.6.7 Programmes shall be established to ensure better data collection
and utilization of women's economic contribution to the development of Ghana.
5.6.8 Systematic attempts will be made in both public and private
sectors to discourage economic and financial policies that encourage large
family sizes.
5.6.9 To discourage the unrestricted growth of families, the following
employment policies as contained in the 1969 Policy will still apply but shall
be faithfully implemented:
(a) Paid maternity leave will be granted only when the applicant has
served for at least one year.
(b) The number of paid maternity leaves will be limited to three
during the entire working life of those affected and no payment will be made in
respect of any number of leaves beyond this limit.
(c) Children's allowances paid to Government officers will be limited
to three only, and this will apply to all officers irrespective of whether they
reside in or outside Ghana. Government
responsibility for payment of travelling expenses of officers' children will be
limited to three.
5.7 The Role of Men in Family Welfare
In Ghana men have
traditionally been regarded as the bread winners in their families; as such,
the extent to which men live up to their responsibilities will, to a great
measure, determine the welfare of families in this country. To encourage men to promote the welfare of
their families the following strategies shall be adopted:
5.7.1 Programmes shall be designed and implemented to promote awareness
among men of their responsibility for the adequate care of their families.
5.7.2 Adolescent male youth and adult male clients will be specifically
targeted in the provision of family planning and IEC services.
5.7.3 Efforts will be made to sensitize men on the promotion of the
health of their spouses and children, so that the men will act as models of
change by encouraging the utilization of family health services and
discouraging negative socio-cultural practices.
5.7.4 Further boost will be given to on-going campaigns for households
to cultivate food and cash crops to ensure food security and financial
self-reliance in the home. Even in the
urban areas, small-scale schemes which permit households to supplement their
nutritional requirements or incomes will be encouraged.
5.8 Children
and Youth
In Ghana children (0-9 years)
and young people (10-25 years) constituted about 64 per cent of the population
in 1984. The revised National
Population Policy places emphasis on the following: education and training; employment; family life education;
recreation; and the general welfare of children and youth. Appropriate strategies shall be put in place
to address the special needs of children and the youth.
5.8.1 Employment and income generation programmes shall be set up to
enhance the income capacity of parents and guardians, especially mothers, in
order to promote better child care and maintenance.
5.8.2 Educational and vocational training facilities will be expanded
to ensure adequate preparation for more economic productive and social life for
the youth within the family and the society at large.
5.8.3 Counselling, IEC and, where necessary, family planning services
will be offered to various categories of adolescents in order to minimise
problems relating to sexual and reproductive health, early marriage or
parenthood and teenage pregnancies.
5.8.4 Steps will be taken to set up or strengthen existing
community-based and other appropriate support programmes for the displaced,
homeless street children, orphans, and delinquents.
5.8.5 Laws will be enacted, or where such laws already exist they will
be enforced, to enhance the rights and access of children and youth to
education, health, and employment.
5.9 The
Aged and Persons with Disabilities
The aged and persons with
disabilities form an important segment of the Ghanaian population. The following actions shall, therefore, be
taken to promote the full integration of the aged and persons with disabilities
in all aspects of national life:
5.9.1 Deliberate measures shall be taken to alleviate the special
problems of the aged and persons with disabilities with regard to low incomes
and unemployment.
5.9.2 A National Co-ordinating Committee on Disability shall be established
to co-ordinate integrated programmes for the rehabilitation and integration of
the disabled into society and for the creation of opportunities for their full
participation in development.
5.9.3 Campaigns will be made to enhance public awareness about the
needs of the aged and people with disabilities within the traditional family
set up.
5.9.4 Laws pertaining to the rights of the aged and the disabled will
be enacted or, where they already exist, will be enforced.
5.9.5 Assistance will be provided to organisations devoted to the
well-being of the elderly and disabled.
5.10 Population and Law
Although it has been
difficult to enact legislation to enforce the population policy, certain
strategies still need to be put in place to promote the general welfare of the
people.
5.10.1 Appropriate legal measures shall be taken to protect and support
the family which is the basic unit of the society, and protect the rights of
the more vulnerable members of the family units such as children, the divorced
and widowed.
5.10.2 Strong links shall be established between law-making, population
activities and social research to ensure that laws and population programmes
are not only rooted in our culture but are also socially responsive to the
needs of the people.
5.10.3 Law enforcement agencies and social welfare services shall be
strengthened through the provision of equipment and adequately trained and
well-motivated personnel to enforce laws dealing with the welfare and security
of citizens.
5.10.4 Appropriate measures shall be taken to ensure that all Ghanaians
are registered and issued with identity cards.
5.11 Population
Information, Education, Communication and Motivation (PIEC & M)
Information, Education,
Communication & Motivation (IEC & M) constitute a key component of
population programmes and the success of the implementation of the policy will
largely depend on the effectiveness of these programmes. The following strategies shall be put in
place to address all aspects of IEC & M activities including audience
analysis, message development, monitoring, evaluation and inter-personal
communication analysis in order to stimulate changes in behaviour and attitudes
towards the basic population concerns.
5.11.1 A national communication policy shall be developed with
Population IEC & M as an integral part of it.
5.11.2 Measures shall be taken to involve potential beneficiaries in the
designing, planning and implementation of IEC & M activities and
programmes.
5.11.3 Steps will be taken to promote both the persuasive and advocacy
approaches in the development of IEC & M programmes.
5.11.4 PIEC&M shall be integrated into all sectors of development
planning and activity.
5.11.5 Materials in local languages will be produced to implement IEC
& M activities tailored to local needs.
The needs of special target groups such as men, adolescents and
illiterates will also be addressed.
5.11.6 Population information networks and data banks shall be
established to provide [a] data base for project formulation, implementation
and evaluation and for the collation and dissemination of information on
population and related development issues to potential users at local and
national levels.
5.11.7 There shall be mobile film units, radio, television and
newspapers at community information centres which will be set up for the
purpose.
5.11.8 Steps will be taken to promote the use of traditional media such
as concert parties and folk drama for inter-personal communication
reinforcement.
5.12 Internal Migration and Spatial Distribution of the Population
In order to address the
issues of rapid urbanisation and uneven population distribution and their
impact on resource utilization, the following strategies shall be implemented:
5.12.1 Improving rural economies by promoting cottage industries such as
handicraft, small-scale enterprises and agro-allied industries to stimulate
balanced development.
5.12.2 Ensuring optimum utilization of land by promoting balanced
regional and district development and appropriate land tenure systems that
support sustainable development.
5.12.3 Instituting appropriate measures to create an attractive
environment in the rural areas to encourage people to stay there and
simultaneously instituting disincentive measures to discourage
over-concentration of both public and private developments in the main urban
centres.
5.12.4 Promoting the development of a comprehensive urban policy and
encouraging the development of medium-sized towns to enhance the economic
interdependence between urban and rural areas.
5.12.5 Encouraging citizens both within and outside the country to
participate fully in the development of their home areas by providing both
material and financial assistance.
5.12.6 Encouraging frontier settlements in the Afram Plains,
Sefwi-Wiawso area and the Oncho-Freed Zones in Northern Ghana, Brong-Ahafo and
Volta Regions.
5.12.7 Instituting appropriate measures to ensure that whenever people
are internally displaced for one reason or the other such as through natural
disasters or armed conflicts, such persons are protected, resettled,
rehabilitated or assisted to integrate into society as early as possible.
5.13 International
Migration
5.13.1 Laws and other procedural rules governing immigration and
emigration shall be periodically reviewed and updated to ensure that these are
in consonance with contractual obligations under international agreements, and
that the migration flows do not adversely affect the nation's manpower and
other developmental needs. Exchange of
experts and other skilled personnel, which promotes south to south co-operation
within the framework of bilateral or multilateral agreements, will receive
special attention.
5.13.2 The Government will co-operate, negotiate and liaise with other
national Governments and international agencies to ensure that the lives,
properties and rights of its nationals who travel to, reside or work in other
countries, whether temporarily or permanently, are fully protected in
accordance with the laws, norms and conventions of international practice.
5.13.3 Refugees, displaced persons and immigrants lawfully domiciled in
Ghana shall be accorded the full protection of the law within the framework of
internationally accepted laws, protocols and conventions. Where such displaced persons or refugees
have to be housed or settled for extended periods at selected localities,
measures must be taken to ensure that such arrangements do not result in
long-term damage to the environment, and that the interests of the receiving
communities and the nation at large are at all times duly protected.
5.13.4 Government will adopt measures and promote incentive schemes
which will facilitate the voluntary return of highly skilled emigrants and
their eventual integration into the national economy in order to promote rapid
socio-economic development.
5.13.5 Government will adopt fiscal and legislative policies or rules
which will ensure that the nation as a whole, and more specifically the
communities or families from which emigrants originate, derive maximum benefit from
the financial and other resources transferred periodically by the emigrants.
5.14 Environmental Programmes
Sustainable development is
the goal of environmental policy in Ghana.
Rapid population growth has an adverse effect on the environment through
over-use and misuse of natural resources.
In order to address these problems the following measures shall be
pursued:
5.14.1 The Environmental Action Plan of 1990 shall be faithfully
implemented.
5.14.2 A Government land classification scheme to delineate vulnerable
environments for the protection of the coastline, steep slopes, river banks and
sacred groves should be introduced.
5.14.3 There should be a development and promotion of technologies to
facilitate the sustainability of the environmental resources of the country.
5.14.4 There should be land management policies to facilitate
sustainable economic growth based on new assessments of carrying capacity.
5.14.5 Industrial timber plantations should be established to provide
raw materials for Ghana's paper and pulp, brick and tile, charcoal and other
related industries.
5.14.6 A systematic programme to develop alternative sources of energy
supply especially for domestic use, such as solar energy [and] biogas from
animal and human waste, should be developed.
This will also include greater utilization of sawmill residues,
agricultural waste for fuel-wood, charcoal-making and sawdust briquettes.
5.14.7 A fund shall be established for reparation or clean-up exercises
to which polluting and related industries shall make regular contributions.
5.14.8 Environmental impact assessment and protective measures shall be
undertaken by all new industries before actual operations start.
5.14.9 There will be preparation, adoption and enforcement of national
sanitation guidelines for the management of safer drinking water, refuse
collection, street cleaning, transport and disposal of solid and liquid waste,
especially in the urban centres, should be pursued.
5.14.10 Adequate places of convenience at vantage
points shall be provided in urban centres to promote environmental sanitation.
5.15 Housing
Strategies
Rapid urbanization has
contributed to the worsening of the housing situation especially in the urban
areas and has also given rise to soaring rents, overcrowding, squatting and
building of unauthorized structures. In
the rural areas the quality of housing is poor and has deteriorated further
over time.
The following measures shall
be adopted:
5.15.1 Review and promote implementation of a national housing policy.
5.15.2 Create an enabling environment in which households, firms, NGOs
and community groups can operate effectively and efficiently to provide decent,
affordable shelter as a means of promoting social development and improving the
quality of life.
5.15.3 Encourage, support and sustain research into all aspects of
housing, including the use of local materials, building designs and appropriate
technology.
5.15.4 Foster a healthy housing finance environment to encourage private
participation and community initiative in housing finance development.
5.16 Poverty
Alleviation
Rapid population growth has
tended to make it more difficult for poverty alleviation efforts to have the
desired impact on the quality of life of the people. Strategies shall be put in place to enhance programmes already in
existence to alleviate poverty.
5.16.1 Efforts shall be made to promote, develop and sustain the
informal sector to play a vital role in employment generation and thereby
contribute to the alleviation of poverty.
5.16.2 Programmes shall be developed to alleviate the suffering of the
rural and urban poor, and other specially disadvantaged groups within the
society.
5.16.3 A National Health Insurance Scheme shall be implemented to ensure
that the majority of the population, including the poor, have access to good
medical care.
5.17 Labour
Force and Employment
The building of a strong and
viable economy depends to a large extent on the quality of its labour
force. To ensure the maximum
utilisation of its human resources in productive ventures the following
strategies shall be pursued:
5.17.1 Adopting and implementing a comprehensive manpower and employment
planning policy which takes cognisance of the needs of both the public and
private sectors.
5.17.2 Emphasizing and promoting vocational and technical education
tailored to job creation and the needs of the labour market.
5.17.3 Strengthening and developing technical, managerial, and
entrepreneurial skills.
5.17.4 Reactivating vocational guidance and counselling in educational
institutions.
5.17.5 Promoting measures and programmes that enhance the capacity of
women to operate more independently and effectively in both the formal and
informal sectors of the economy.
5.17.6 Enhancing productivity as well as staff training in the public
service.
5.17.7 Mitigating the adverse effects of the structural adjustment
programme by retraining and resettling laid-off workers.
5.17.8 Enforcing labour laws which protect the security, health and
welfare not only of workers, but also of the environment and general
population.
5.17.9 Integrating family life education, where feasible, into
employment activities.
5.18 Data
Collection and Analysis, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation
The importance of reliable
and timely collection of demographic data for formulation, monitoring and
evaluation of development programmes cannot be overemphasized. The following strategies shall be pursued:
5.18.1 Ensuring timely collection, processing, analysis and
dissemination of data to policy makers, planners and the public at large.
5.18.2 Strengthening the capacity of Ghana Statistical Service,
documentation centres, training and research institutions, the National
Population Council Secretariat, and the Ministerial, Regional and District
Planning Units to collect, analyse and disseminate population and other
relevant statistical data.
5.18.3 Training more personnel in the field of data collection,
analysis, and research to upgrade the national research capability in
population and development.
5.18.4 Facilitating in-service training in techniques of integrated
population and development planning through seminars and workshops for planners
and implementers.
5.18.5 Establishing a forum for population data producer-user
communication.
5.18.6 Reviewing, enacting and enforcing laws governing the registration
of vital events, especially marriages, births and deaths, and providing the
necessary logistics, and establishing data collection centres at district and
sub-district levels.
5.18.7 Establishing a management information network system including a
data bank to support all population activities.
5.19 Training and Institutional Capacity Building
The availability of trained
personnel for all components of the population policy is a pre-requisite for
its successful implementation. The
following training strategies will be put in place to ensure the successful
implementation of the Population Policy:
5.19.1 A National Population Training Centre shall be established.
5.19.2 There will be established a comprehensive human resource/manpower
policy for the recruitment, training, remuneration, retention and usage of
staff working on the population programme.
5.19.3 There will be an intensive training of population and health
related development personnel in the local and regional educational
institutions to promote national self-sufficiency and execution of programmes.
5.19.4 Programmes will be devised for the in-service training of public
servants on population matters.
5.20 Resource
Mobilization
As part of overall
development policy, the implementation of the population policy requires
financial and technical support both from internal and external resources. Population programmes have therefore to
compete with other sectors for the very limited resources available to the
nation. The following strategies for
resource mobilization, co-ordination and utilization shall be implemented:
5.20.1 Government shall make available to the National Population
Council (NPC) the necessary resources to enable it to function effectively.
5.20.2 All sector ministries, departments and district administrations
shall incorporate in their annual budgetary estimates components for population
programmes.
5.20.3 District Assemblies and Communities shall be involved in the
mobilization of resources.
5.20.4 Government shall provide guidelines for mobilising external
assistance for population programmes to ensure proper coordination and maximum
utilization of resources to enhance programme impact at national, sectoral and
district levels.
6.0 Institutional Framework
6.1 The implementation of the
Population Policy requires, inter-alia,
a sound institutional framework for the translation of goals, objectives and
strategies into actual programmes at national, sectoral and district
levels. It also requires political
commitment and support. Further, the
effective implementation of the Population Policy will depend upon collective
responsibility of Government, ministries, institutions, non-Governmental
organisations, private agencies, communities, families and individuals
exercised in a holistic and integrated manner.
In recognition of sub-national variations, and taking account of the
nation's decentralisation programme the districts shall play a key role in the
implementation of the Policy.
6.1.1 In the light of difficulties encountered in the past in realising
effective co-ordination of the policy and programmes, a Population Policy
Implementation and Assessment Committee (PPIAC) was inaugurated in October
1989, as an interim body to advise Government on all population and related
issues pending the establishment of a National Population Council. The activities of the PPIAC eventually led
to the establishment of [the] National Population Council in May 1992. The National Population Council was formally
inaugurated on November 25, 1992.
6.2 The National Population Council (NPC)
6.2.1 The National Population Council is the highest statutory body set
up to advise Government on population and related issues. The NPC is a parastatal body located in the
office of the President. The Council's
membership is made up of prominent citizens of Ghana with demonstrated interest
and commitment in population and related issues as well as representatives from
the National Council on Women and Development, the 31st December Women's
Movement, Ghana Association of Private and Voluntary Organisations in
Development, National Development Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance
& Economic Planning, Ministry of Health, the Ghana Medical Association and
the Trades Union Congress. In addition,
there are four co-opted members from the Christian Council, the Catholic
Secretariat, the Ahmadiyya Movement and the Orthodox Moslem Council.
6.2.2 The Council has the following mandate:
i) Recommend for Government consideration such policies or changes
in population policy as it may deem necessary;
ii) Interpret and review from time to time the population policy of
the country and advise Government accordingly, taking into consideration the
political, economic, socio-cultural and legal realities of the country;
iii) Represent and/or advise Government on means of generating
internal and external resources and their co-ordination to support the
implementation of the population policy and programme;
iv) Guide and promote the implementation of a comprehensive
population programme, which should be integrated within the framework of the
development policy of the country;
v) Set operational targets for programme performance and expected
impact and recommend strategies for their attainment;
vi) Ensure the full participation of the private sector in attaining
the set of population targets/goals;
vii) Co-ordinate and monitor population programmes of other
organisations both public and private within the country;
viii) Function in any other ways that would promote sustainable
population programmes and activities in order to improve the well-being of the
people of Ghana.
6.3 Secretariat of the National Population Council
6.3.1 The NPC shall be serviced by a Secretariat which shall act as a
focal point in the formulation and management of population programmes and
activities throughout the country. The
Secretariat shall facilitate, monitor, co-ordinate and evaluate the
implementation of the policy and programmes, foster functional linkages among
sectoral ministries, institutions and agencies, and harmonize the work of the
NPC at national, regional and district levels.
The Secretariat shall be headed by an Executive Director who will be
Member/Secretary to the NPC.
6.3.2 The Secretariat shall carry out the following functions:
i) Provide technical an d administrative support to the National
Population Council and its advisory committees;
ii) Undertake population policy research and analysis of identified
and emerging population issues and . . . propose appropriate population
programmes and activities for them;
iii) Promote, co-ordinate and harmonize population activities
including family planning programmes and services in the country;
iv) Promote and co-ordinate comprehensive population, information,
education and communication policies and strategies;
v) Establish and operationalise a national programme for research,
monitoring and evaluation of population policies and programmes and . . .
develop a national population data bank to facilitate the exchange and
dissemination of population related information;
vi) Identify, develop and implement the requisite human resource
needs for population programmes;
vii) Provide guidelines for various components of the population
programmes with a view to ensuring their consistency within the framework of a
National Development Plan;
viii) Prepare annually a working programme and budget for the
consideration and approval of the NPC;
ix) Publish regularly an annual population report and a quarterly
population newsletter;
x) Serve as the national public relations agency on population
issues affecting the country and provide background materials on population to
agencies that need them;
xi) Promote the integration of population factors in development
planning;
xii) Liaise with donor agencies with a view to regulating and
co-ordinating the forms and levels of internal and external resource
mobilization and distribution for purposes of population and development programmes
and activities;
xiii) Generally, co-ordinate the formulation and implementation of
population policy and programmes within the country; and
xiv) To carry out any other functions which may be assigned to it by the
NPC towards the achievement of the population goals and objectives of the
nation.
6.4 Technical Advisory Committees of the National Population Council
6.4.1 The National Population Council shall establish five
multi-sectoral/multi-disciplinary technical advisory committees to reinforce the
technical base required for its decisions.
These Committees shall bring a broader perspective to bear on the work
of the Council, by collectively interrelating, pooling together and harmonising
the views, concerns, needs, technical knowledge and expertise of various
disciplines, sectors, agencies, and groups concerned with the population
policies and programmes at national, sectoral and district levels. The Committees shall be responsible for the
following schedules of the Council:
i) Population Policy and Programmes;
ii) Family Planning Services;
iii) Information, Education and Communication;
iv) Research, Monitoring and Evaluation;
v) Training.
6.4.2 These Committees shall carry out the following functions:
i) Assist the NPC and the Secretariat to determine the appropriate
policies, programmes and tasks pertaining to each specialised area;
ii) Determine and sustain the working links among sectoral and
participating agencies;
iii) Suggest, provide and review appropriate guidelines for the work
in each specialised area;
iv) Advise on key and relevant technical matters relating to the
implementation of population programmes;
v) Serve as co-ordinating link between the NPC and the programme
implementing agencies;
vi) Provide other relevant technical advisory services as may be
requested from time to time by the NPC.
6.5 Technical Co-ordinating Committee (TCC)
6.5.1 There shall be a Technical Co-ordinating Committee (TCC) which
shall harmonise and co-ordinate the work of the various technical advisory
committees. The TCC shall be chaired by
the Executive Director of the Secretariat and shall report through its Chairman
to the NPC.
6.6 Decentralization
6.6.1 In line with Government's policy on decentralization, the NPC
Secretariat shall work closely with the political administrative units of the
country, especially the District Assemblies and the various communities to
design and implement population programmes and activities.
6.7 National Development Planning Commission (NDPC)
6.7.1 The NDPC is responsible for national development planning. The NDPC and the NPC will set the overall
population goals relating to issues like population distribution and migration,
fertility levels, and levels of maternal, infant and child mortality etc. The NDPC and the NPC will collaborate in
arriving at realistic goals and targets in the field of population. The NPC will oversee the implementation of
these goals. In other words the NDPC
will be doing the macro planning while the NPC will be dealing with the sector-level
strategic planning in respect of population.
6.7.2 The NPC shall have the primary responsibility of working out the
strategies for the attainment of the set goals. The efforts of the NPC would therefore complement those of the
NDPC.
6.8 Government Agencies
6.8.1 The Ministry of Health (MOH), being a key actor in the health
needs of the population, will be encouraged to continue to play its leading
role in the health sector. Furthermore
the MOH shall monitor closely the activities of private organisations in the
health delivery system to ensure that resources are not over concentrated in
particular areas at the expense of others.
6.8.2 Population units will be established in the Ministries of
Education, Food and Agriculture, Employment and Social Welfare, Information,
and Justice and given separate budgetary votes to support their activities.
6.9 Private Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
6.9.1 The critical role that private organizations and non-Governmental
organisations have been playing in the nation's development cannot be
over-emphasised.
6.9.2 With the establishment of the Ghana Association of Private
Voluntary Organisations in Development (GAPVOD) all voluntary organisations
will be encouraged to register with GAPVOD.
In addition, GAPVOD will be assisted to co-ordinate effectively the
population activities of these organisations to ensure optimum utilisation of
their services.
6.10 Government and Donor Support
6.10.1 Donor Agencies and International Non-Governmental Organisations
(NGOs) have played and continue to play an important role in our development,
especially in the implementation of our population policies and
programmes. It is hoped that donor
agencies and international non-Governmental organisations will continue to play
a vital role in the implementation of the revised policy.
6.10.2 It is expected that the structural weaknesses that have been
identified in co-ordinating donor activities would be addressed. As a first step, Government has proposed the
setting up of an Inter Agency Co-ordinating Committee (IACC) to be made up of
representatives of Government, Donor Agencies and Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) in the field of population, health and family planning. The IACC is expected to promote greater
collaboration among donor agencies themselves and between donor agencies and
Government to ensure that the country derives maximum benefit from donor
assistance in the implementation of the policy.
6.10.3 The IACC shall perform the following functions:
6.10.3.1 Periodically carry out needs assessment,
including resource identification, for the population sector;
6.10.3.2 Develop a fruitful working relationship
between Government, Donors and NGOs in the formulation and implementation of
programmes and projects that shall be conceived out of the policy;
6.10.3.3 Monitor, evaluate and publish project
activities as well as in project monitoring and evaluation, and financial
reporting systems; and
6.10.3.4 Ensure long term planning of the national population
programme which should include co-ordinated inputs from Government,
multi-lateral, bi-lateral and non-Governmental sources.
6.10.4 To ensure the sustainability of population and family planning
programmes, and the uninterrupted implementation of the population policy,
Government will continue to make adequate human and budgetary resources to the
various Ministries and Departments for the population activities.
7.0 Conclusion
The principles, strategies
and institutional arrangements outlined in this revised national population
policy represent the first stage in the pursuit of the national objective
outlined in Article 37: Clause 4 of the
Fourth Republican Constitution (1992) which states that "The State shall
maintain a population policy consistent with the aspirations and development
needs and objectives of Ghana."
The successful implementation
of these policy objectives is dependent on the determined effort and continuing
partnership between the Government of Ghana and its constituent institutions,
the private sector, non-Governmental organisations, donor agencies and more
importantly, the people of Ghana.
The policy therefore represents both a challenge and an opportunity for all, institutions and individuals alike, to actively support and promote the objectives of the national population policy in all their spheres of activity to ensure a vibrant and prosperous Ghana.