A three-day training on the practical application of the Toolkit for Mainstreaming Gender-Responsiveness in Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation has been organised by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), in partnership with SIGRA and GIZ/PAIReD, to strengthen participants’ capacity to integrate gender considerations into development planning processes.

The training, which runs from 14 to 16 October 2026, brings together gender experts and technical staff from NDPC, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and GIZ. It seeks to strengthen participants’ practical skills in gender analysis, the use of sex- and gender-disaggregated data, the development of gender-responsive programmes and budgets, and the design of monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

Opening the training, the Director-General of NDPC, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, said the exercise was intended to translate the toolkit into practical action rather than leave it as another document that had been launched but not implemented.

She noted that despite the existence of laws, regulations and social protection provisions, significant gaps remained in achieving gender equality. “We still have a long way to go in our quest for equality,” she said.

She stressed that gender considerations should not focus exclusively on women but should also take account of men and the attitudes shaped by socialisation, which must be consciously challenged.

The Director-General urged participants to integrate gender responsiveness into planning, budgeting and reporting, including by documenting the participation of women and men in programmes and ensuring that their contributions were reflected in discussions.

Ms. Elham Mumuni, a gender budget adviser and consultant who worked on the toolkit, explained that it was developed to provide clearer guidance on integrating gender into planning processes. She noted that although existing guidelines recognised gender as a cross-cutting issue, they did not clearly define responsibilities for its implementation.

Ms. Maria Gorreti Quarshie, Technical Advisor with GIZ/PAIReD, said the toolkit broadens the understanding of gender beyond women’s issues to include men, boys, girls, and marginalised and vulnerable groups. She explained that it provides practical guidance for integrating gender considerations into planning and budgeting processes.