Martha Allottey
By Bright Philip Donkor
Martha Allotey, a beneficiary of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Adolescent Girls’ Programme (AGP), says the initiative has transformed her life, empowering her to stand up for her rights, overcome challenges at home and pursue her passion for fashion through a scholarship to study at the Starts Fashion Institute.
The AGP, which took off in 2025, in Ghana is a joint initiative implemented jointly by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), with funding from Global Affairs Canada, to empower vulnerable adolescent girls and young women.
The programme aims to reach 400,000 adolescent girls by 2030, with particular attention to marginalised groups, including girls in rural communities, out-of-school adolescents, migrants, refugees and girls with disabilities.
It seeks to improve girls’ access to comprehensive sexuality education, rights-based sexual and reproductive health services, child protection interventions, leadership opportunities and skills development to enable them to make informed decisions about their lives and realise their full potential.
The initiative is funded and supported by funding from Global Affairs Canada, including a CAD 25 million commitment, to strengthen interventions that promote the rights, wellbeing and empowerment of adolescent girls in Ghana.
Allotey’s story
Speaking to the Daily Statesman on the sidelines of a one-day capacity-building workshop on the UNFPA Country Programme Reporting and Development Communication in Accra on Thursday, November 5, 2026, Martha Allotey said the education and guidance she received through the programme helped her develop the confidence to speak up against how she was being treated at home, eventually enabling her to report her uncle to the head of her family for the matter to be addressed.
According to her, the programme equipped her with knowledge of her rights and the confidence to challenge situations she previously felt powerless to address.
Beyond the personal empowerment she gained, Ms Allotey said her participation also exposed her to leadership and career development opportunities that broadened her prospects.
She recounted that she had the opportunity to participate in the Ambassador for a Day (AfD) competition by writing an essay, through which she was selected to serve as an ambassador for a day for the Norwegian Ambassador.
The AfD initiative is an annual leadership and mentoring programme for young women aged 18 to 24, designed to expose participants to diplomacy, leadership and the work of ambassadors.
Ms Allotey further said her involvement with UNFPA and Purim African Youth Development Platform (PAYDP) opened another significant door by providing her with the opportunity to pursue her interest in fashion.She said she secured a scholarship to study at the Starts Fashion Institute, where she received professional training in fashion design.Having completed her studies, Ms Allotey said she had graduated and was currently working from home, putting the skills she acquired into practice as she works towards building a career in the fashion industry.
She attributed her progress to the opportunities, support and guidance provided through the programmes, noting that they had helped her move from a position of limited confidence to one where she could assert her rights, acquire practical skills and pursue her aspirations.
For Ms Allotey, the impact of the intervention goes beyond education and skills training, as it has given her the confidence to make decisions about her life and the opportunity to work towards a more independent future.
The workshop
The one-day workshop was organised by the Media and Communication Advocacy Network (MCAN), in collaboration with UNFPA, to strengthen media engagement and development reporting on the UNFPA Ghana Country Programme.
Beyond the training sessions, the workshop provided an opportunity to identify and document human-interest stories from implementing partners and beneficiaries of the Adolescent Girls and Child Marriage programmes.
It also highlighted the experiences, achievements and impact of UNFPA-supported interventions in communities, with the aim of improving media coverage of development programmes and the changes they bring to the lives of beneficiaries.
About The Author
