Mahama launches free sanitary pads programme for JHS, SHS girls
President John Dramani Mahama has launched a free sanitary pad programme for girls in Junior High and Senior High Schools. The initiative launched on Thursday, April 24, 2025, aims to prevent girls from dropping out of school due to menstruation.
Speaking at the launch of the Free Sanitary Pads for Junior and Senior High School Girls programme, John Dramani Mahama described the initiative as “not a one-time gesture, but a sustained policy commitment.”
His Excellency Mahama pledged that the programme would continue to expand, reaching more girls in both Junior and Senior High Schools across the nation.
“We see you, we believe in your potential, and we will stand with you every month, every term, and every year,” he assured the school girls present at the launch.
President Mahama noted that despite their efforts during his previous administration to implement the Free Sanitary Pad Distribution Programme, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) strongly opposed it and made a mockery of it at that time, hence it was cancelled.
“And so that pilot was undertaken, but I remember when we tried to pass it through Parliament, for the first time, it sounded very strange
And for those who were in Parliament at the time, they will remember, our opposition bench called it the pad loan, if you remember
And a lot of mockery was made that the government would go to take a loan to supply sanitary pads for girls, because at the time, this challenge was not very well understood, even by members of Parliament.
Today, I’m happy that everybody accepts that this is the right thing to do. Because it is a natural process of creation,” President John Dramani Mahama noted.
The President said the Free Sanitary Pad Distribution Programme was more than just the distribution of sanitary pads, saying, “It is a clear declaration that no girl in Ghana should miss school because of a menstrual period”.
“Far too many of our daughters, our nieces and sisters have missed out on education, not because they lack the academic intelligence and the flair or the will or the ambition, but simply because they lack access to proper sanitary products,” he said.
President Mahama said research had shown that girls could miss up to five school days each month, amounting to nearly 40 days of schooling a year, adding that “This is not just a statistic”.
“It represents a young girl failing, falling behind in class, losing her confidence and struggling to catch up because of what is a natural biological process. This reality is unacceptable. In Ghana, where we aim for progress, equity and justice, this must not continue,” President Dramani stated.
His Excellency further said menstruation should never be a reason for exclusion or shame, and that it should not be a barrier to education or self-achievement every year.
“To our parents, I say, you have carried this burden for too long, having to choose between books, food, fees and sanitary products. Help is here. And help is here to stay. This is not a one-time gesture,” President Mahama said.
The initiative seeks to ensure that menstruation no longer becomes an obstacle to girls’ education by providing them with the necessary support to stay in school throughout their academic journey.
