2018 Budget: Gh₵ 6m Allocation to the office of Senior Minister Waste – SEND Ghana Boss

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The Country Director of SEND-Ghana Mr. George Osei-Bimpeh has described as waste the amount allocated to the office of Senior Minister contain in the 2018 budget statement.
According to SEND-Ghana boss, while government cut down on the allocation social intervention programmes run by some respective Ministries, millions of Ghana cedis been allocated to Ministries that has no useful to reducing the high rate of unemployment in the country.
Mr. George Osei- Bimpeh was speaking at the media encounter on the analysis of the 2018 budget statement delivered by the Finance and Economic Minister few weeks ago.
“Already Ghana’s unemployment rate is high, successive governments have tried their best to close the gap but still the gap is too wide, cutting down the budget of Gender Ministry and Agric is really the bad one”, he stated.
To him, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection that has the responsibility in overseeing the implementation of most of the social intervention programs in the country has it budget cut down that will render the Ministry jobless.
The 2018 budget has allocated GH 6,062, 742 to the office of the Senior Minister, whiles 77$% budget of MOGC/SP slashed off.
Clara Osei Boateng SEND-GHANA Director of Policy and Advocacy Programme, told the media Wednesday no one would be able to predict the money that would be generated through that process.
Citing numerous challenges facing the government flagship program, Madam Clara predicted that the program would not be a sustainable one.
She said the unpredictability of the Voluntary Education Fund could jeopardize the implementation of the Free SHS.
She said the government to provide further details on how it intends to operate the Fund.
The government’s decision to set up a Voluntary Education Fund to finance the Free senior high school (SHS) education policy has triggered some criticisms from educationists and other organizations.
The programme is estimated to cost the country ¢3.6 million yearly, but political opponents said it is financially unsustainable.
SEND-GHANA believes an immediate resolution of its concerns about the Voluntary Education Fund will save the country from running into financial difficulties in 2018.
“We all know that ever since the Free SHS started enrollment has shot up and that has exposed infrastructure issues…[but] in 2018 there will be an increase in enrollment [so] government [has] to raise additional funding,” Clara Osei Boateng said.