Plan International Ghana has officially launched the She Leads Social Movement, a bold new platform to sustain advocacy for girls’ rights and leadership following the successful completion of its three-year She Leads Project.

The launch at the Monarch Hotel in East Legon brought together development partners, civil society actors, traditional leaders, and girls from across Ghana’s regions to mark a transition from project to movement.

Speaking at the launch, Project Manager for the She Leads Project, Joyce Obenewaa Darko, said the decision to launch the She Leads Social Movement stems from the overwhelming impact and momentum the project generated since 2021.

“It has been very transformative. We have touched lives and built the capacities of girls across senior high schools and communities,” she said.

She credited the movement’s success to the collaborative work with religious and traditional authorities, whom she described as “champions of change” for using their platforms to promote girls’ leadership and speak out against harmful gender norms.

Darko emphasised that the movement is not only a legacy of the project but a sustainability strategy to ensure that girls’ voices remain strong and unified even beyond donor funding.

“In all our engagements, we were able to mobilize groups from school clubs, community clubs, and regional platforms into a national movement. We believe it is time they come together as one She Leads Social Movement to champion the cause of girls’ rights and women’s leadership,” she explained.

 “We see the She Leads Social Movement as a sustainability plan beyond the She Leads Project. The needs of girls will not disappear because a project ends. This movement gives them one big voice to continue advocating for education, equality, and leadership,” she further added.

Madam Joyce also praised the recent passage of Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, which the She Leads Project had actively advocated for. She revealed that the movement would play a role in educating girls and young women about the new law to ensure they are prepared to benefit from the spaces it opens up.

“We contributed to the bill’s passage through petitions, consultations, and by creating spaces for girls to input into the legislative process. We are now working to ensure its implementation by sensitizing women and girls to prepare themselves for the leadership roles it supports,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, Deputy Chief of Staff Nana Oye Bampoe Addo reaffirmed the government’s support for the movement, noting “We are committed not only to listening, but to acting.”

She announced several key government initiatives, including the GH¢51.3 million Women’s Development Bank and the GH¢292.4 million Free Sanitary Pad Initiative, aimed at breaking systemic barriers to girls’ empowerment and inclusion.

Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Wendy Van Mel, applauded the She Leads partners for their coalition-building efforts and celebrated Ghana’s milestone in passing the Affirmative Action law.

She encouraged the next generation to use technology to amplify their advocacy.

“The Dutch government remains your reliable partner in advancing gender equality now and in the future.”

The She Leads Social Movement now serves as a unified national platform for over a thousand girls and young women across Ghana to push forward the unfinished agenda of gender equality, inclusive leadership, and protection of girls’ rights.