Girls, particularly those in deprived communities in Ghana, cannot always afford sanitary products for menstruation.
Due to their low income status and cost and unavailability of sanitary pads, they often resort to unsafe alternatives like cloths, dirty rags, cotton wool, leaves and cement papers. Some even miss school during their periods.
Aside the fact that the safety of these absorbents cannot be guaranteed and usually cause diseases and infections to girls, they leak and draw patches at the back of their uniforms.
The embarrassment affect the school attendance, participation, and retention of most girls in school.
In fulfilment of a campaign promise and in efforts to retain more girls in school, President John Dramani Maham on April 24 launched a Free Sanitary Pad Initiative.
It is expected to improve menstrual hygiene management and remove barriers to education among female pupils in primary, Junior High, and Secondary school.
The initiative aims to provide free sanitary pads to 2 million school girls.
It promises not to be a one-time intervention, but rather a consistent commitment by the Mahama led administration to provide sanitary pads every month, to ensure that no girl misses school due to her menstrual cycle.
In his address to update the nation on his first 120 days in office, President Mahama said the 2025 Budget Statement allocated two hundred and ninety-two million, four hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢ 292.4 million) for the initiative
He said procurement waa ongoing for over six million sanitary pads, with each student receiving three packets per term at the basic level and four packets per semester at the secondary level.
The President said distribution and a health education on the usage of a pad will be done through the Ghana Education Service structures to all 261 districts, ensuring no beneficiary was left behind.
The Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) said the government deserved genuine applause for taking this bold step as the initiative signaled a clear recognition of the intersection between education, health, and gender equity.
However, while the policy launch is widely celebrated, key questions still remain unanswered.
The alliance raises concerns about the initiative’s long-term viability and effectiveness stating that there must be an articulated implementation strategy to provide clear information on the central distribution system of the pads.
It said clarity must be provided on how frequently the sanitary pads be distributed? Monthly? Quarterly? Or Per Term?.
The Alliance said additionally, the policy’s funding model remained vague.
“While the government has expressed commitment, it is unclear where the sustained financial backing for such a nationwide programme will come from. Will it be fully government-funded, and if yes, from which source? Or will there be partnerships with international donors, NGOs, or private sector players?”
It said without a dedicated and transparent source of funding, the policy ran the risk of faltering midway.
The Alliance said the success of the Free Pad initiative hinged on a holistic approach that included education on menstrual hygiene management and the creation of girl-friendly sanitation infrastructure.
The Forum for African Women Educationist (FAWE), Ghana chapter says the success of the free pad initiative will depend on sustainability, monitoring, and cross-sectoral coordination.
“We must ensure that distribution is equitable, particularly reaching underserved rural and peri-urban areas where the need is greatest,” it said.
The Forum is advocating for complementary investments in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools stating that a pad without access to clean toilets and water is an incomplete solution.
“As we implement this programme, there must be strong community sensitization and school-based education,’ it said.
A report by the World Banks shows that access to clean sanitary products is crucial for maintaining menstrual hygiene.
It said studies have found that providing sanitary pads to girls led to a significant reduction in sexually transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis.
The report shows that the availability of sanitary pads reduces anxiety and embarrassment associated with menstruation, which positively affects the overall mental health of girls.
The Ghana News Agency believes that access to sanitary pads for girls has a significant positive health, educational, and social impact.
It calls on the government to open up the Free Pad Distribution Policy for discussion and make it workable to end period poverty, especially in the rural, péri urban and urban poor communities of
Ghana.
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