President of the Social Workers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Arnold Kodjo Divine Exorgbe has received the Africa Social Work and Development Network Annual Award for 2025 at a colourful ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Awards held in July recognised excellence in African social work and social development.
Receiving the award, Mr. Arnold Kodjo Divine Exorgbe said, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Africa Social Work and Development Network for nominating me to receive this prestigious award. I’m deeply humbled and incredibly grateful to accept the Social Development Award from the Social Development Network to be recognized by an international organization that has done so much to champion community progress, social integration, and empowerment is truly the highlight of my career. In the field of social work and development, our greatest successes are never achieved in isolation.”
He, therefore, thanked the team in Ghana which works have propelled this great feast.
SWAG is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and empowering Social Workers across the country andbeyond.
Established as a hub for social services professionals, SWAG provides a strong, unified voice for the social work community, promoting excellence, ethical standards, and positive social change.
The core mandate of the association is among other things;To provide social justice and equity, dignity and development to its members in Ghana and beyond;To ensure professionalism in the delivery of Social Welfare Services in Ghana and beyond;Negotiates with Government and other agencies for better conditions of service for its members.
Back here in Ghana, the association faces a lot of challenges among them; the non-passage of the Social Workers Bill, to change the plight of social workers and logistical challenges.
Mr Exorgbe identified inadequate resources for the implementation of programmes and projects, proper legislation to govern the social work practice, absence of social welfare sectin at the Head of Local Government Service, and regular training of staff in the government sector.
“I can tell you for a fact that a lot of social workers are demoralized and traumatised as a result of treatments meted out to the Social Workers by some government officials. We are therefore calling on the government and all the stakeholders, from Attorney General and Ministry of Justice , Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Parliament and Cabinet to as a matter of urgency pass the Professional Social Work Bill to curtail the challenges.”