Ghana has taken a significant step towards strengthening social protection and advancing gender equity with the launch of three key legal instruments by the Vice President, H.E. Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, in Accra on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
The instruments are the Social Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1148), the Social Protection Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2521), and the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2522).
Organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), the launch was held under the theme, “Building an Inclusive, Equitable and Resilient Ghana: From Legislation to Results.”
Delivering the keynote address, the Vice President said the success of the new frameworks would be measured by their impact on the lives of Ghanaians.
She noted that the Social Protection Act provides a legal foundation for a coordinated national system covering social assistance, social insurance, emergency support, the Social Protection Fund, and mechanisms for complaints and redress.
She added that the accompanying Regulations would guide implementation, while the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Regulations would help institutions meet their obligations to advance women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
The Vice President called for effective implementation, accountability and the efficient use of public resources to ensure that people experiencing poverty and vulnerability receive appropriate support and that women have fair opportunities to contribute to national development.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, described the launch as both an achievement and a responsibility for the Ministry.
She acknowledged the years of advocacy and consultation involving women’s groups, persons with disabilities, older persons and other stakeholders in shaping the instruments.
The Minister outlined five commitments to guide implementation: making the laws accessible in plain language and local languages; providing institutions with practical guidelines, reporting templates and training; strengthening data, targeting and coordination systems; improving complaints and feedback mechanisms; and publishing regular progress reports.
She also pledged that the Ministry and its agencies would fully comply with the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Regulations.
She urged social welfare officers, community development officers, gender desk officers and other frontline personnel to perform their duties with fairness, professionalism and compassion, noting that their work would be critical to translating the laws into meaningful results for citizens.
The importance of social protection was illustrated through the story of an older widow whose husband’s death left her struggling to provide for her children and keep them in school.
Without a salary or pension and with limited mobility due to age, she relied on support to meet her household’s basic needs.
Her experience highlighted the role of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme in supporting vulnerable households and the need to link social assistance with livelihood opportunities to build lasting resilience.
Representatives of UNICEF and the World Bank commended Ghana for this milestone and reaffirmed their support for strengthening social protection and gender equity.
They emphasised the importance of reliable data, effective programme delivery, and connecting social assistance to services, skills development, livelihoods and financial inclusion.
The launch brought together representatives of Parliament, traditional authorities, public institutions, development partners, civil society, organised labour, the private sector, women’s groups, persons with disabilities, youth organisations, academia and the media.
The Vice President subsequently unveiled the three instruments, marking the beginning of a renewed focus on implementation.
The priority now is to ensure that the new legal frameworks translate into tangible improvements in the lives of Ghanaians.