Witchcraft Accusations Project

In the wake of the public lynching of a 90-year-old woman, Madam Akua Denteh, in the Savannah Region on July 23, 2020, and the banishment of several women to so-called witches’ camps in the Northern and North East Regions, The Sanneh Institute launched a project to address this issue. Our ultimate goal is the closure of these camps and the successful reintegration of the victims into their communities. This project is structured in three phases:

• Legislation: In direct response to TSI’s petition to Parliament, a bill was introduced in Parliament to criminalize witchcraft accusations and witch-hunting in Ghana. On July 27, 2023, after three years of staunch advocacy, the bill was passed in Parliament. TSI worked closely with three parliamentarians who are sponsors of the bill, and with the Desk of Gender and Development at the Office of the President of the Republic of Ghana to see to the passing of the bill. We await the President of the Republic of Ghana to assent the bill into law. Click here to read a press statement by the Coalition Against Witchcraft Accusations (CAWA) on the passage of the bill.

• Education: TSI undertakes sensitization of the public on the harmful effects of witchcraft accusations. Since the inception of the campaign, we have had several interviews and held seminars for religious leaders and the general public, as well as published articles in local media for the purpose. For the list of interviews, seminars and publications, kindly click here. Work is also underway to commission experts for the production of teaching manuals on witchcraft from the Christian and Islamic perspectives. These will be used for education in schools, churches, and mosques.

• Reintegration: TSI uses the information gathered from its research to lobby traditional rulers and relevant government ministries and agencies for the reintegration of victims banished to the alleged witches’ camps in the Northern and North East Regions of Ghana. In 2021, TSI successfully reintegrated a number of the victims from the Kpatinga camp into communities of their choice. We also facilitate relief aid to the camps.