It was on a quiet Monday afternoon that Mr Jon Coomson and his beautiful of 10 years, Aba, walked into the Department of Social Welfare. They had over the last five years nurtured the hope with their readiness to love a child they had not birthed. However, they shortly discovered upon their initial engagement with the officials that adoption in Ghana is not the swift, compassionate exchange they had imagined. It is a journey paved with legal checks, emotional preparedness, and above all, a positive in perspective.
The desire to become a parent is near-universal, but not everyone achieves it through biological means. Adoption provides an alternative – a legal process in which full parental rights and responsibilities are permanently transferred from a child’s biological parents or guardians to the adoptive parents. Once an adoption order is granted, all legal ties to the biological family are severed, even under customary law, and the adoptive parents assume full responsibility as though the child were their own by birth.
Yet, in Ghana, adoption is still misunderstood by many. It is often seen as a charitable gesture towards abandoned or neglected children. This perception is problematic. Adoption is not a benevolent act; rather, it is a privilege — a chance offered by a child to individuals who long to become parents.
Viewing adopted children as second-best or different is both inaccurate and unfair. Children – whether adopted or biological – deserve the same unconditional love, care, and respect. When society sees adoption as a form of charity, it unwittingly risks treating these children differently. However, when adoption is embraced as a familial bond formed through choice and legal commitment, it opens the way for genuine, nurturing relationships.
The Children’s Act of 1998 (Act 560), as amended in 2016 (Act 937), lays out a robust legal framework for adoption in Ghana. This law prioritises the best interests of the child and establishes stringent vetting and matching processes. These procedures are essential for ensuring that children are placed in loving, capable homes – not merely with those willing to take them in.
What many do not realise is that the pool of adoptable children in Ghana is quite limited. Statistics indicate that around 60 per cent of children in residential homes are not eligible for adoption due to existing family ties or unresolved legal matters. Of the remaining 40 per cent, most are either over the age of 13 or have special needs. Only about five per cent are infants without special needs – the group most sought after by prospective adoptive parents.
This reality highlights the need for a deeper understanding of adoption and the unique circumstances of each child. Every adoption story is different, and each child deserves to be seen and valued as an individual, not a fulfilment of an adult’s longing.
International adoption is even more closely regulated. Under the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (1993), such adoptions are permitted only when no suitable care options are available within the child’s home country. Ghana adheres to this principle, ensuring that the child’s welfare is always the priority.
The Department of Social Welfare continues to advocate for child protection and family preservation. Preventive programmes are actively reducing cases of child abandonment and neglect, which in turn lowers the number of children eligible for adoption. This means that those seeking to make a meaningful difference in a child’s life might also consider foster care – a temporary but impactful way to provide support and stability to children in need.
Foster care does not transfer parental rights, but it offers a profound opportunity to care for children who need safe, loving environments. It complements adoption as part of a broader approach to child welfare.
At the heart of it all lies a crucial truth: adoption is not a favour bestowed upon a child, but a life-changing opportunity granted to adults. When adoption is understood and embraced in this light, adoptive children are more likely to receive the love and respect they deserve – not as objects of pity, but as cherished members of their families.
GNA
