The National Gender and Children Policy (2004) was formulated to respond to the persistent inequalities, discrimination, and marginalisation faced by women and children in Ghana, particularly those in extremely difficult circumstances such as street children, widows, orphans, persons with disabilities, and victims of abuse. The establishment of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) in 2001 reflected the government's commitment to addressing these systemic gaps and to mainstreaming gender- and child-related concerns into the national development agenda. The policy seeks to mainstream gender and children’s concerns across all sectors of national development to improve the social, legal, political, economic, and cultural conditions of Ghanaians—especially women and children. It aims to redress imbalances arising from gender inequalities, promote equitable access to resources and decision-making, and enhance the survival, development, and protection of children.

The objectives include integrating gender analysis in policy formulation and planning; reviewing laws and policies to promote equity; strengthening women’s role in economic development; expanding educational and health opportunities; protecting children from exploitation; and ensuring that gender and children’s rights are incorporated into all sectoral and district-level programmes.

The strategies adopted encompass promoting gender-responsive development planning; sensitising stakeholders at all levels; advocating for gender equality through education and policy reforms; enhancing child survival and protection mechanisms; promoting research and data disaggregation by sex and age; and institutionalising gender- and child-responsive monitoring and evaluation systems.

Institutionally, MOWAC serves as the National Machinery for coordinating policy implementation. It chairs a multi-sectoral steering committee and works through its two key implementing agencies—the Department of Women and the Department of Children. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning ensures equitable resource allocation, while other MDAs, District Assemblies, NGOs, and CBOs operationalise the policy locally. Parliament provides oversight through legislation and policy reviews, and research institutions support knowledge generation. Civil society, the private sector, and development partners contribute advocacy, funding, and technical assistance. Through these coordinated mechanisms, the policy provides a national framework to promote gender equality and child protection, ensuring that women and children benefit equitably from Ghana’s socio-economic progress.