The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has engaged Traditional Faith Practitioners in a renewed effort to combat gender-based violence (GBV) and child marriage in Ghana.

The engagement meeting, held at the Hunters Royal Hotel in East Legon, Accra on August 14, 2026, brought together traditional faith leaders, government officials, development partners, and members of the media to discuss practical strategies for addressing harmful cultural practices that continue to affect women and children across the country.

Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Baafi Nsiah, the director at the ministry emphasised the important role traditional faith practitioners play in shaping social norms and influencing community behaviour.

He noted that the meeting marked the first time traditional African faith practitioners had been brought together specifically to discuss issues of gender-based violence and child marriage.

“We are gathered here today with a shared purpose to forge a united and coordinated response to harmful practices that continue to undermine our humanity and, most critically, the dignity and well-being of the vulnerable in society, especially women and children in Ghana,” the Ministry stated.

Speaking to the media, Hajia Sophia Tamimu, Head of the Child Marriage Unit at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, described the programme as a timely intervention as Ghana accelerates efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.3, which seeks to eliminate child marriage.

According to her, child marriage remains a significant concern in many communities despite ongoing interventions by government and development partners.

“As Ghana, we are accelerating action to end child marriage. This programme is one of the tools we are using to speed up interventions aimed at ending child marriage and gender-based violence,” she said.

Hajia Tamimu explained that studies have shown that girls who marry early are significantly more likely to experience gender-based violence, making the fight against child marriage critical to broader efforts to protect women and girls.

She highlighted several government interventions designed to address the root causes of child marriage, including the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme and other social protection initiatives that support vulnerable households and help keep children, particularly girls, in school.

She added that various ministries, departments and agencies, together with UN agencies and development partners, have rolled out interventions at both national and sub-national levels to reduce child marriage and improve the welfare of vulnerable families.

Participants were encouraged to use their influence and deep understanding of local customs to help develop action plans that would support advocacy, prevention and response efforts while aligning traditional practices with constitutional and human rights standards.

AM

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