'I will make sure every woman has pepper spray if I win' – Hawa Koomson

Mavis Hawa Koomson, former Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture and an aspirant for the position of National Women’s Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has pledged to provide women with pepper spray for their personal protection if elected.

According to her, pepper spray is provided to women for free in some countries to enable them to protect themselves. However, she said in Ghana, possessing pepper spray is often interpreted as an indication that an individual intends to use it to fight or commit a crime.

“Abroad, pepper spray is given to people for free, and whenever they are going out, they carry it in their bags. So how come in Ghana, when you are given pepper spray, it is interpreted as though you are going to use it to fight? It is meant for protection; you have to be able to protect yourself,” she said.

In a video shared by Adom TV, the former Fisheries Minister cited the violent incident that occurred during the Ablekuma North election rerun on Friday, July 11, 2026, saying she could have lost her life if she had not had pepper spray with her.

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“If not for pepper spray, I would have been dead during the Ablekuma North election. It was the pepper spray that helped me,” she stated.

Hawa Koomson said if elected as the NPP’s National Women’s Organiser, she would ensure that women are provided with free pepper spray for their personal protection.

“Therefore, I will make sure every woman has pepper spray, which they can use for their own protection,” she noted.

Citing another example, the former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East said a woman recently had an encounter while using an Uber and suggested that having pepper spray helped protect her from potential harm.

“Recently, around this area, there was a woman who took an Uber. If she had not had pepper spray on her, she could have been harmed, but the pepper spray helped her,” she added.

Hawa Koomson is contesting the position of National Women’s Organiser alongside Hajia Safia Mohammed.

The election is being held today, Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, where more than 7,000 NPP delegates have gathered to elect the party’s national officers.

I’ll make sure every woman has pepper spray when I win — Hawa Koomson pic.twitter.com/S535gULB5K

— we love ghana (@weloveghana042) October 3, 2026

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Source: www.ghanaweb.com
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