Tarkwa: Mr Abraham Osei Badu, Acting Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine, has announced a commitment to ensure that no adolescent girl in their host communities will miss school or other opportunities due to menstruation. Over the past two years, the Mine, in partnership with GIZ, has been distributing free sanitary pads to adolescent girls in eight basic schools within their catchment communities on a monthly basis.
According to Ghana News Agency, following the conclusion of the two-year partnership agreement with GIZ, the Iduapriem Mine management decided to independently sustain the programme by procuring 20,000 sanitary pads to ensure its continuity. Mr Badu highlighted this initiative during a durbar with stakeholders and pupils to mark the 2025 Menstrual Hygiene Day in Tarkwa, themed ‘Together for a Period Friendly World.’
For the past three years, the Mine has conducted various activities to emphasize the importance of menstrual hygiene and reproductive health, including week-long outreach programmes for adolescent girls across their nineteen host communities. In collaboration with Nana Abena Boaduwaa II, queen mother of the Apinto Divisional Council, the Mine has also organized community forums to educate parents on effective parenting to support their daughters.
Mr Badu noted that efforts are underway to create a supportive ecosystem for menstrual health, involving homes, schools, and the broader community. To further empower educators, the Mine launched Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials on menstrual hygiene last year and organized training for School Health and Girl Child Coordinators to enhance their capacity for effective menstrual hygiene education. These coordinators now lead monthly sessions in schools, ensuring sustained awareness and long-term impact.
Mrs Wilhemina Tiwaah Duah Morttey, Municipal Director of Health Services in Tarkwa Nsuaem, revealed a declining trend in teenage pregnancy rates in the municipality, with a drop from 10.2% in 2022 to 8.6% in the first quarter of 2025. She commended Iduapriem Mine for its initiative, noting that it reduces the likelihood of girls seeking financial assistance from men for sanitary pads.
Madam Gifty Efua Nyinaku, Municipal Girl Child Education Coordinator, remarked on the social perceptions of menstruation in certain communities and churches, where it is sometimes regarded as a curse or taboo. She emphasized the need to change these perceptions, as menstruation is a natural process essential for procreation.
Nana Abena Boaduwaa II acknowledged the significant changes observed since the Mine began celebrating Menstrual Hygiene Day in host communities. She called for other stakeholders to replicate this initiative in schools and thanked the government for removing taxes on essential items, including sanitary pads. Nana Boaduwaa II recommended that girls from primary five to Junior High School three receive free sanitary pads from the government.