Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) has called for urgent nationwide action to combat cervical cancer, particularly in lower income areas, as Ghana works toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) by 2030. Executive Director Francis Ameyibor emphasized that the country must accelerate efforts ensuring healthy lives and promoting well being for all at all ages.
Ameyibor stressed that stakeholders must address lapses in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health, as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases. He noted that while significant strides have been made toward health related targets, Ghana needs to collectively double efforts to appreciably meet 2030 objectives. The pace at which the country fights cervical cancer remains alarmingly slow, requiring a more comprehensive approach.
CDA Consult, a member of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), has upscaled a Cervical Cancer Prevention Change Paradigm Advocacy Campaign to mobilise stakeholders addressing the issue. The campaign centres on responsive communication as a tool for attitudinal change advocacy promoting mass voluntary vaccination and encouraging healthy lifestyles. It also aims to promote free cervical cancer vaccinations and scale up prevention, detection, and treatment toward elimination of the disease.
The advocacy campaign seeks to dispel myths about cervical cancer screening, immunisation, and treatment to achieve maximum impact. Primary prevention targeting non reactive individuals forms a core strategy alongside national prevention, detection, and treatment programs. The initiative aims to raise funds for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes in Ghana’s low and lower middle income areas.
Ameyibor explained that the effort intends to modify policies and improve activities focusing on raising the status of community health workers and outreach workers while providing training for delivering integrated services. Adolescents and young people have unique healthcare, sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as educational, developmental, and psychosocial requirements, making screening and treatment programmes relevant and accessible to them essential.
Statistics from the Ghana Health Service indicate that over 2,797 women receive cervical cancer diagnoses each year in Ghana, with only about 40 percent surviving. The disease accounts for almost 2,000 deaths annually, making it the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer.
Ameyibor stated that statistics from around the world indicate the odds of dying from cervical cancer are comparable to those of getting Ebola, with mortality rates for women with cervical cancer approximately twice that of women with breast cancer. He emphasised these terrible figures are real, noting that if more people had access to HPV vaccines and cervical cancer screening and treatment, the global epidemic could be eradicated in a generation, but insufficient resources exist for these essential programmes.
Ghana launched its first nationwide HPV vaccination campaign in October 2025, aiming to reach 2.4 million girls aged 9 to 14 years through a five day initiative. The HPV vaccine is now offered free of charge and integrated into Ghana’s routine immunisation schedule for 9 year old girls, ensuring long term and equitable protection for future generations.
With UNICEF support, Ghana secured 2.5 million HPV vaccine doses, enough to protect all eligible girls and potentially prevent around 40,000 deaths caused by cervical cancer. The campaign aligns with global efforts to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat, with Ghana joining Nigeria, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire in introducing the HPV vaccine with Gavi support.
Despite these advances, HPV vaccination coverage in Ghana remains alarmingly low, with less than 20 percent of eligible girls fully vaccinated before the recent nationwide campaign. This stark contrast to the World Health Organization (WHO) target of 90 percent coverage by age 15 demonstrates the scale of challenges remaining.
Barriers include cost, with private doses ranging from GH₵300 to GH₵400 placing the two dose regimen out of reach for many families in underserved communities. Additional obstacles involve lack of information among parents and guardians about HPV and its link to cervical cancer, cultural and religious beliefs making vaccination unacceptable in certain communities, and infrastructure limitations including inadequate cold chain facilities and distribution networks.
The GCNH seeks to foster coalition building, networking, and information sharing among non governmental organisations (NGOs) in health while providing a forum for advocacy and campaigning for quality health for all under a common banner. The coalition influences policy formulation and decision making, explores avenues for improving relationships with other health partners, and builds capacity of member organisations to maintain satisfactory service delivery standards.
The organisation promotes research for health development in Ghana while mobilising and managing resources from donor agencies to assist national efforts aimed at improving health for all people living in the country. Member NGOs and community based organisations (CBOs) in the health sector coordinate activities under this umbrella body.
Ameyibor’s call to action reflects growing recognition that cervical cancer represents not just a health issue but a social and economic concern undermining the potential of women and girls across Ghana. Making HPV vaccination accessible, affordable, and widely accepted means saving lives while investing in a more empowered future for the nation.
The executive director emphasised that as leaders, policy makers, and community stakeholders, Ghana has an obligation to prioritise the health and future of daughters, sisters, and mothers. The time to act is now, as every life saved represents a step closer to the Ghana stakeholders envision while supporting achievement of SDG 3 health targets.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
