The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called on Ghana’s president to intervene urgently in the country’s maternal health crisis, citing a death rate of one woman every three hours – eight per day – across the nation.
Dr Sennen Hounton, UNFPA’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, spoke at the national launch of the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response in Accra on 14 September. He described the situation as a largely unnoticed crisis, comparing it to a silent road‑accident death toll that would normally spark public outcry.
Hounton highlighted the multisectoral nature of the problem, noting that roads, electricity and human resources all play a role. He stressed that the Ministry of Health alone cannot resolve the issue, pointing out that many facilities in remote areas lack 24‑hour power and that timely transport to hospitals is hampered by poor road conditions.
He argued that a presidential initiative brings a unique convening power, able to bring together ministries beyond health to address the systemic gaps. "We need someone with convening power beyond the Ministry of Health to bring other ministries together," Hounton said.
UNFPA clarified that the initiative is government‑led, not donor‑driven, and praised the president’s willingness to elevate the issue to a national emergency. Similar programmes have been launched in Guinea‑Bissau and Benin, with The Gambia and Guinea Conakry in the pipeline.
As the country grapples with a daily loss of eight women, UNFPA urges the government to act swiftly to prevent further deaths and to ensure that maternal care becomes a priority at the highest level of governance.
