MTN's Yellow Ladies Network brings free breast cancer screening to Accra market women

The MTN Yellow Ladies Network has conducted free breast cancer screening for 500 women in Accra's markets as part of this year's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, bringing healthcare directly to communities where access is most challenging. The initiative represents a significant push to reach women who typically deprioritise their own health amid work and family responsibilities.

The outreach programme, organised in partnership with Breast Care International and Peace and Love Hospitals, was designed specifically for market women—traders who struggle to find time for hospital visits. Screening teams mobilised participants through market queens and beauticians' associations, and doctors from various hospitals conducted free examinations and referred cases requiring further investigation. The response was immediate and substantial, with queues forming from 8:00 a.m., suggesting many women have begun to overcome longstanding fears around the disease.

Why the programme matters for Ghana

Breast cancer remains a significant public health challenge in Ghana. According to Breast Care International's president, Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addae, over 5,000 Ghanaian women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, with more than 2,300 deaths recorded. However, the mortality rate could be dramatically reduced through early detection and treatment. A critical problem is that approximately 60–70 per cent of patients are diagnosed at stage three or four, when treatment options are more limited and outcomes poorer. Detection at stages one and two enables breast-conserving surgery and significantly improves survival rates.

Cultural misconceptions also delay diagnosis. Dr Wiafe Addae noted that some Ghanaians still attribute breast cancer to witchcraft, causing women to seek treatment at prayer camps instead of medical facilities. Community screening programmes like this one combat misinformation and normalise conversations around the disease.

Risk factors and prevention

The screening exercise also provided education on modifiable risk factors. These include excessive alcohol intake, smoking and shisha use, lack of physical exercise, and high-fat diets. Women were also warned against cosmetic products lacking English labelling, as some contain carcinogenic substances. Late childbirth, family history, and the use of certain hair relaxers and skin-lightening products were highlighted as additional risk factors.

Critically, breast cancer does not cause pain in its early stages, making monthly self-examination essential. Dr Wiafe Addae emphasised that self-awareness and regular checks are the first line of defence, particularly for women without family history or other obvious risk factors.

Addressing systemic barriers

A key challenge identified during the screening is the lack of health insurance coverage for screening and biopsy procedures. Dr Wiafe Addae called for financial support mechanisms for vulnerable patients and proposed enrolling breast cancer patients on the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to ease the financial burden of diagnosis and treatment.

MTN's Yellow Ladies Network, established in 2025, has positioned itself as more than an internal staff welfare initiative. Antoinette Kwofie, MTN Ghana's Chief Finance Officer and Network Chairperson, explained that the group is committed to community health interventions. Last year, it organised a fundraising walk and donated proceeds to the Breast Cancer Unit at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and to Breast Care International. This year's focus on direct community screening reflects a shift toward proactive, accessible healthcare delivery.

The success of this outreach—evidenced by the large turnout and sustained queues—demonstrates the appetite for healthcare services when barriers of time, cost, and accessibility are removed. Scaling similar initiatives across other regions and communities could significantly improve early detection rates and ultimately save lives across Ghana.