Reclassify feminine hygiene items as "essential social goods" and abolish import taxes, say CSOs to the government

Kandey Alhassan May 28, 2023 0

Ghana's Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have requested that sanitary products be renamed as "essential social goods" and that import taxes be removed in order to make them more readily available to women and girls. 

The CSOs highlighted in a presser that countries including Rwanda, South Africa, and Kenya have outlawed levies on sanitary products. As sanitary items are listed in the Harmonized System's chapter 96 and are subject to a 32.5 percent tax on imported pads, they push the government of Ghana to do the same. Additionally, it accounts for 12.5 percent of the Value Added Tax and 20 percent of import duties. 

The CSOs urge a comprehensive effort to lower the cost of sanitary goods and step up public education about menstruation in honor of Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Institutions including schools, government agencies, and businesses are asked to make provisions so that women and girls can manage their periods with dignity and comfort while still working. 

Here is the complete press release:

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

MAKE SANITARY PRODUCTS AFFORDABLE FOR ALL– GHANA CSOs 

PLATFORM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS APPEALS TO 

GOVERNMENT 

Accra 28

th May 2023: The Ghana CSOs Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals 

(SDGs) has appealed to the government to help make sanitary products affordable to all women 

and girls. Sanitary products are currently enlisted on the chapter 96 of the Harmonised System, 

and that attracts a 32.5 percent tax on imported sanitary pads, which is made up of 20 % import 

duty and 12.5 % in Value Added Tax. The Platform urgently calls on the Ministry of Finance 

and the government to, as a matter of urgency, to scrap the import tax on sanitary pads and 

reclassify the product as ‘essential social goods’ which is Zero (0) rated. The Platform reminds 

the government that African countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa have removed 

taxes on sanitary products and so can Ghana. This is contained in a press release to 

commemorate the 2023 Menstrual Hygiene Day which falls on Sunday 28th May 2023, and is 

themed, “Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030.”

The Platform notes that, “women's and adolescent girls’ ability to care for their bodies while 

menstruating is an essential part of this fundamental human right. Poor menstrual health and 

hygiene therefore represent an affront to this right, including the right to work and go to school. 

Insufficient resources to manage menstruation, such as sanitary pads and clean water, worsen 

the already existing social and economic inequalities. It further undermines human dignity and 

attacks the confidence of girls and women”. The Platform is therefore calling for a 

comprehensive effort aimed at making sanitary products affordable and intensifying public 

education on menstruation. 

The Platform appeals to Ghanaian schools, workplaces, and public institutions to ensure that 

people can manage menstruation with comfort and dignity while being productive. It notes that, 

“our aim is to contribute to the building of a fairer, healthier, gender-responsive Ghana that 

acknowledges and works towards achieving the vision for sanitation and hygiene under Goal 6 

of the Sustainable Development Goals: “By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable 

sanitation and hygiene for all, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and 

those in vulnerable situations”.

The Platform calls on the government to increase political priority and ignite action for 

menstrual health and hygiene so that women and girls feel confident, comfortable, and free of 

any shame. Policies that eliminate period poverty, especially for low-income women and girls 

who struggle to afford menstrual products and have limited access to water and sanitation 

services, must be expedited. To the Ghanaian media, let us encourage open dialogue on menstruation. It is a great way to break period stigma and teach young girls on how to stay 

healthy and hygienic during menstruation.

-END-

Signed 

Levlyn Konadu Levlyn

National Coordinator

Ghana CSOs Platform on SDGs

020 161 7590

By Kandey Alhassan