Ghana Working Toward Hague Convention Ratification

Adoptions from Ghana to the U.S. are in relatively small numbers -- 99 in 2011, 117 in 2010, but it's good to see the country being pro-active in looking to ratify the Hague Convention on international adoption:

Ghana is to reform its adoption system with the establishment of a Central Authority (CA)at the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) to receive a list of all adoptable children to be entered into a national database.

The CA as part of its mandate would receive all applications for inter-country adoption, enter all eligible applicants for adoption into a register as well as other functions necessary to ensure that the adoption process is carried out in a truthful and transparent manner.

To give impetus to the reforms the DSW has submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare for onward submission to the Cabinet for approval of the creation of the CA, which would serve as a launch pad for Ghana to sign on to the Hague Convention of Inter-Country Adoption.