The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), through the Non-Profit Organisations Secretariat, has launched new policy and operational documents aimed at strengthening the regulation, supervision and support of non-profit organisations (NPOs) in Ghana.
The documents were launched on Friday, September 18, 2026, under the theme, “A Renewed Path for the Non-Profit Organisations’ Sector.”
The initiative brought together representatives from government institutions, non-profit organisations, development partners and other stakeholders to discuss measures to improve governance and regulation within the sector.
In a statement delivered on her behalf by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr Marian W. A. Kpakpah, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, described the launch as an important step towards building a stronger, credible and sustainable non-profit sector.
She said effective regulation, transparency, accountability and collaboration were essential to maintaining public confidence in organisations operating within the sector.
The Minister noted that NPOs play an important role in national development by supporting communities, providing essential services and responding to the needs of underserved populations.
She stressed, however, that the growing role of NPOs also made responsible governance and appropriate safeguards necessary to protect legitimate organisations and their activities from abuse or misuse.
Dr Lartey therefore called for a risk-based and proportionate regulatory approach that takes into consideration the different sizes, activities and operating environments of NPOs.
She cautioned against creating unnecessary regulatory burdens for legitimate organisations and urged regulators and other relevant institutions to ensure that compliance measures remain appropriate to the nature and operations of the organisations involved.
The Minister also called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, regulators, development partners and NPOs, particularly in the areas of capacity building and information sharing, to support the effective implementation of the new framework.
The newly launched documents provide practical guidance on key areas of the sector, including the registration and licensing of NPOs, compliance monitoring, supervision, post-registration services and collaboration with relevant institutions.
The launch also featured an overview of the new documents, a briefing on the Sectoral Terrorist Financing National Risk Assessment (TF-NRA) and an update on the Non-Profit Organisations Bill, 2026.
Several stakeholders expressed support for the new framework and highlighted the importance of continued cooperation in ensuring that the reforms achieve their intended objectives.
They included the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), Albert Kwadwo Twum Boafo; Team Lead of Serious and Organised Crime – Ghana (SOC-G), Linda Ofori-Kwarfo; GIZ Country Representative, Nils Fürköther; UNODC Country Representative, Christoph Capelle; the FATF Deputy Chair for Civil Society Organisations; and Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri of Spaces for Change, Nigeria.
The stakeholders emphasized the need for institutional capacity building, transparency, accountability and sustained information sharing as the new regulatory framework is implemented.
The event ended with the official launch of the policy and operational documents, followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NPO Secretariat and key partners.
The agreement is expected to strengthen collaboration among the institutions involved and support efforts to improve governance, oversight and effective regulation of Ghana’s non-profit sector.
