The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) on Wednesday, 1st October 2025, launched the Toolkit for Mainstreaming Gender-Responsiveness in Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.
Welcoming participants, NDPC’s Director-General, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, described the Toolkit as a practical guide to integrate gender considerations at every stage of the planning cycle, including monitoring and evaluation.
She explained that the 2025 edition is the result of a process that began in 2020 and involved extensive collaboration through a Technical Working Group co-chaired by NDPC and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, with members drawn from MDAs, CSOs, RCCs, MMDAs, and development partners. The German Cooperation through GIZ’s PAIReD Programme and the SIGRA Project funded by Global Affairs Canada provided technical and financial support.
Dr. Amoah added that the Toolkit provides planning officers, budget analysts, and gender desk officers with specific tools and procedures to strengthen institutional capacity and ensure that gender is systematically embedded in planning, budgeting, monitoring, and evaluation. She stressed that the launch is not an end in itself but a step toward enabling institutions to address gender inequalities more effectively.
Chairing the event, Madam Lilian Baeka, Chief Director of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, emphasized that the Toolkit is designed to support planners and institutions in closing persistent gender gaps. She pointed to challenges such as women’s underrepresentation in Parliament, wage disparities, and maternal mortality, stressing that these cannot be addressed if gender is overlooked in planning and budgeting. She called on stakeholders to ensure that the 2026–2029 Medium-Term Development Plans demonstrate measurable gender responsiveness, and urged that the Toolkit be actively used as a working reference, not left idle.
Minister of State for Public Sector Reforms, Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, noted that while women’s representation has improved, greater effort is needed to achieve equity. She reaffirmed her commitment to gender equality, highlighting the need for stronger male participation in gender initiatives—remarking humorously on the higher number of women than men at the event.
The launch concluded with a call to action from Madam Baeka, who urged that the Toolkit guide planning, sharpen analysis, and inspire practical action. She underscored that its effective use will help build a Ghana that is inclusive, fair, and just for women and men, girls and boys.
Solidarity messages were delivered by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, GIZ, SIGRA, and UN Women, all reaffirming their support and encouraging stakeholders to apply the Toolkit to advance gender-responsive planning and budgeting.