Ghana Minute.
Sunday, 23 August 2026
Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Sunday, 23 August 2026
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Ghanaian press · Organization

UNICEF

UNICEF — UN agency addressing child health, malnutrition, sanitation standards, and adolescent healthcare services across West Africa and Somalia.

2026-04-272026-08-23

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. May 2026
  2. Joy Online

    Development partners, including representatives from Germany, UNICEF and GOVET/BIBB, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ghana’s TVET transformation through technical assistance, funding and knowledge exchange.

    Government reaffirms commitment to TVET reform at launch of Ghana TVET report 2026
  3. The Chronicle

    The international campaign, led by UN-Water, UNICEF, and UN Women, drew attention to the disproportionate burden that water scarcity places on women and girls while also recognizing their essential role in water governance, sanitation advocacy, and sustainable resource management

    Water Resources Commission marks world  water day with schools’ quiz competition
  4. April 2026
  5. Joy Online

    Dr Oppong noted that although Ghana-specific large-scale studies are still limited, global health bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF have already documented the harmful effects of heavy metal exposure on foetal development and child health.

    Treat galamsey like COVID-19 or Ghana’s future — Paediatrician warns gov’t
  6. Joy Online

    Development partners, including the World Bank, UNICEF and the World Food Programme, commended the reforms and reaffirmed their support, while the Ministry reiterated its commitment to ensuring that no vulnerable Ghanaian is left behind.

    Gov’t begins enrolment of 400,000 new households onto LEAP Programme
World & Region

Somalia child malnutrition crisis worsens amid aid cuts

The News

UNICEF says severe acute malnutrition admissions in Somalia jumped 32 percent in the first six months of 2026 as more than 200 health and nutrition facilities closed due to international aid cuts, with nearly 1.9 million children projected to be malnourished this year.

18 hours ago · Joy Online

Yesterday

  1. Somalia child malnutrition crisis worsens amid aid cuts

    UNICEF says severe acute malnutrition admissions in Somalia jumped 32 percent in the first six months of 2026 as more than 200 health and nutrition facilities closed due to international aid cuts, with nearly 1.9 million children projected to be malnourished this year.

    18 hours ago · Joy Online

Friday 21 August

  1. Only 5% of Nigerian health facilities meet waste-management standard

    A WHO/UNICEF assessment found that only 5% of Nigerian health care facilities met the basic standard for managing medical waste in 2025, with 76% having limited services and 20% having no waste-management service. The finding raises concerns over how used needles, infectious materials and other waste generated during medical care are handled.

    21 August 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Only 16% of Ghana health facilities meet basic sanitation standards

    According to a WHO and UNICEF assessment, only 16% of Ghana's health facilities meet basic sanitation standards—which require improved and usable toilets, separate facilities for men and women with menstrual hygiene provision, and access for people with limited mobility. The gaps in sanitation across West Africa are particularly stark, with Guinea-Bissau at 7%, Burkina Faso at 11%, and Mali at 12%.

    21 August 2026 · Joy Online

  3. Government prioritizes foundational literacy and numeracy skills

    Ghana's Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said the government is prioritizing foundational learning in literacy and numeracy to improve education outcomes, noting that increased school access has not translated into improved learning. He emphasized that educational progress should be measured by whether children are acquiring expected competencies, not only by enrollment and infrastructure metrics.

    21 August 2026 · Joy Online

Thursday 20 August

  1. Ghana's NGOs should strengthen MMDAs, not replace them

    Ghana's NGOs should focus on building the capacity of local government institutions (MMDAs) rather than replacing them with project-based services that disappear when funding ends. This approach protects democratic accountability and ensures sustainable service delivery.

    20 August 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 19 August

  1. Angélique Kidjo becomes first African musician with Hollywood Walk star

    Five-time Grammy award winner Angélique Kidjo from Benin has become the first African musician to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring her four-decade career blending African sounds with funk, jazz and pop for global audiences.

    19 August 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Ghana adopts child labour-free zones strategy to combat exploitation

    Ghana has launched Child Labour Free Zone initiatives and an Accelerated Action Plan Against Child Labour to combat child labour, particularly in agriculture and cocoa production. In 2022, approximately 21% of children aged 5–17 in Ghana were involved in child labour, with over 1.2 million engaged in hazardous work.

    19 August 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 14 August

  1. GNECC holds district dialogues on inclusive education financing

    The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition has organized District Accountability Dialogues in two Ahafo Region districts to promote transparent and equitable education financing for girls and children with disabilities, bringing together local stakeholders to inspect fund allocation and advocate for stronger tracking of education money.

    14 August 2026 · Joy Online

Thursday 6 August

  1. Ghana's Health Ministry develops AI policy framework for healthcare

    The Ministry of Health is developing a comprehensive National AI Health Policy and Guidelines to provide a legal, ethical and operational framework for safe and equitable adoption of AI across Ghana's healthcare system. The policy aims to strengthen governance, data protection, digital infrastructure, workforce readiness and regulatory oversight to ensure AI supports improved healthcare delivery while safeguarding patient rights.

    6 August 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 4 August

  1. Fathers play key role in supporting successful breastfeeding

    A pastor shares how he supported his wife's recovery and breastfeeding by helping with nighttime baby care and expressed milk feeding. Experts note that while fathers cannot breastfeed directly, their role in household responsibilities and childcare enables mothers to breastfeed successfully and recover from childbirth.

    4 August 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 31 July

  1. Hamas disarmament plan offers hope despite serious obstacles

    A new proposal would have Hamas hand over its weapons as Israel withdraws from 70% of Gaza it occupies, though the plan faces significant political and practical challenges. The arrangement comes amid catastrophic conditions for over 2 million Palestinian civilians and after tens of thousands of deaths during the war.

    31 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. UNICEF and Ghana Health Service train 100 providers on adolescent care

    About 100 health service providers have been trained to deliver adolescent-friendly maternal and child healthcare services following the expansion of the Safety Net Intervention to 44 additional health facilities in the Central Region. The intervention, a partnership between the Ghana Health Service and UNICEF, is now being implemented in 16 districts across 176 facilities in the region.

    31 July 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 29 July

  1. Education Minister opens debate on reintroducing school corporal punishment

    Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has reopened a national debate on whether Ghana should reconsider abolishing corporal punishment in schools, citing growing indiscipline in senior high schools. Mr. Iddrisu raised the issue at a national conference on school discipline in Sunyani, saying he, President John Mahama, and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service are seeking answers to the question.

    29 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Gang violence spreading to senior high schools from universities

    Ghana Education Service has warned that gang-related violence and serious indiscipline previously seen mainly in tertiary institutions are increasingly affecting senior high schools, with incidents at institutions like Accra High School and West Africa SHS. The GES Director-General attributed the problem partly to weak implementation of positive discipline policies adopted after corporal punishment was abandoned in 2017, and cited social media and changing societal values as contributing factors.

    29 July 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 22 July

  1. Ghana's top creatives named jurors for 2026 Blackstar film festival

    A panel of Ghanaian filmmakers, producers, and directors has been assembled to judge the 2026 Blackstar International Film Festival. The jury includes Ivan Quashigah (chairman), William Kojo Agbeti, Anny Araba Sedufia, and others, bringing decades of experience across African cinema.

    22 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. UN backs AU health summit in Accra on equity and disease control

    Ghana is hosting an African Union Extraordinary Summit on Health on July 21–22, 2026, focused on ending AIDS and tuberculosis by 2030, reducing maternal deaths, and addressing communicable and non-communicable diseases across the continent. The United Nations supports the initiative and frames health as foundational to sustainable development and social justice.

    22 July 2026 · Daily Guide

Tuesday 21 July

  1. Ghana developing first standard treatment guidelines for lead poisoning

    Ghana is finalising its first standard treatment guidelines for managing lead exposure and poisoning to strengthen diagnosis, treatment, and health system preparedness. The guidelines will specify required tests, treatment options at different care levels, and equipment and facilities needed across the health system.

    21 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Ghana finalises first standard lead poisoning treatment guidelines

    Ghana is finalising its first standard treatment guidelines for managing lead exposure and poisoning to strengthen diagnosis, treatment, and health system preparedness. The guidelines will specify required tests, treatment options by level of care, and equipment and facilities needed across the health system.

    21 July 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 17 July

  1. Messi and Lamine Yamal met in 2007, will face each other in World Cup final

    Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will meet on the pitch for the first time when Argentina play Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, though the two crossed paths in 2007 when Messi was a 20-year-old Barcelona starter and Yamal was just five months old — a meeting documented in photographs that resurfaced after Yamal helped Spain win Euro 2024.

    17 July 2026 · The Chronicle

  2. Messi and Lamine Yamal first met in 2007 photograph

    Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, who will face each other in Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, first met in 2007 when Messi held a five-month-old Yamal in a photograph taken at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium after his family won a competition to visit the away dressing room.

    17 July 2026 · The Chronicle

Thursday 16 July

  1. EPA warns Ghana children face lead poisoning risks

    Ghana's Environmental Protection Authority has warned that one in every two children could be vulnerable to brain damage and reduced intelligence from lead exposure, following a study that detected lead in commonly used children's toys. The EPA called for regulators, manufacturers, importers and consumers to work together to ensure products meet safety standards.

    16 July 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 14 July

  1. NDPC validates framework to monitor 2026–2029 development agenda

    The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), in collaboration with UNICEF, held a validation meeting on the draft Results Framework for Ghana's "Resetting Ghana Agenda" policy framework (2026–2029), bringing together representatives from Ministries, Departments and Agencies, development partners, academia and planning professionals to review indicators, baselines and targets for assessing development performance.

    14 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. E-waste burning at Agbogbloshie contaminates Ghana's food chain

    Scientists say pollution from informal e-waste recycling at Agbogbloshie is contaminating both human breast milk and livestock milk in surrounding communities, with research from the University of Ghana and UNICEF findings showing that heavy metals and hazardous pollutants released during open burning accumulate in the environment and enter the food chain consumed by mothers, infants and residents.

    14 July 2026 · Joy Online

  3. One in five districts face severe teacher shortages nationwide

    A new report launched by Ghana's Ministry of Education reveals that about 20% of districts experience severe teacher shortages, with rural schools hit hardest despite near-universal school enrolment rates. The staffing gaps are undermining learning outcomes, with 45.27% of learners performing below basic proficiency in Mathematics and 50.33% in English in the 2024 National Standardised Test.

    14 July 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 7 July

  1. Sudan war kills or injures 330 children in six months

    UNICEF reported that the conflict between Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces has killed or wounded at least 330 children in the first six months of 2024, with drone strikes accounting for 60 per cent of casualties. Hostilities continue to intensify in Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile regions, with attacks on schools, markets, and water and fuel stations displacing over 500,000 residents.

    7 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. National Justice Conference urges sustainable funding for child protection

    Stakeholders at Ghana's National Justice Conference called for sustainable financing of child protection systems, warning that inadequate funding could undermine efforts to combat child labour exploitation and trafficking. The conference, held in Accra, brought together government officials, lawmakers, civil society organisations, faith leaders, survivors and development partners to discuss strengthening long-term interventions for vulnerable children.

    7 July 2026 · Joy Online

Thursday 2 July

  1. Ghana's floods cause lasting trauma beyond immediate humanitarian crisis

    Recent floods in Ghana killed at least 12 people, left 7 missing, and affected 7,761 households. An opinion piece argues that the disaster—which disrupts education, displaces families, and leaves psychological wounds—represents a Women, Peace and Security issue extending far beyond the visible physical damage.

    2 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. GES trains district supervisors on early childhood education reform

    The Ghana Education Service has trained the fourth cohort of district teacher support teams on early childhood education under its Harmonised Scale Programme, which aims to improve kindergarten quality through play-based, child-centered teaching. The initiative includes plans to retrain more than 32,000 kindergarten teachers and end the practice of assigning pregnant, unwell, or disciplined teachers to kindergarten classrooms.

    2 July 2026 · Joy Online

  3. Nigeria urges private schools to register on education database

    Nigeria's Minister of Education launched the Digitalised Nigeria Education Management Information System to collect real-time data on schools, teachers, enrolment, and infrastructure; about 90 per cent of public school data has been captured, but private school participation stands at around 50 per cent.

    2 July 2026 · The Chronicle

Friday 26 June

  1. Exclusive Events Ghana announces judges for 69th Miss Ghana auditions

    Exclusive Events Ghana has unveiled a panel of judges for the 69th Miss Ghana auditions, scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2026, at the Oak Plaza Hotel in Accra. The competition runs under the theme "Empowering Women, Enduring Legacy" and seeks young women with intelligence, confidence, leadership qualities, and purpose-driven vision.

    26 June 2026 · The Ghanaian Times

UNICEF — Ghanaian press coverage · Ghana Minute