GNAT sceptical about govt’s assurance to protect social intervention programmes
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) expresses skepticism regarding the government’s assurance that social intervention initiatives will be safeguarded despite the commencement of a bailout program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a joint press conference held on Thursday, May 18, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, emphasized that the government has taken specific measures to strengthen social protection programs and has allocated additional resources to key initiatives.
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One noteworthy development highlighted by the Finance Minister is the increased resource allocation for the school feeding program.
However, Thomas Musah, the General Secretary of GNAT, raised concerns in an interview with Citi News, stating that the Finance Minister’s comments contradict the information presented in the 2023 budget statement.
Musah specifically referred to paragraph 223 of the budget statement, drawing attention to bullets 1 to 6, which state that relevant recommendations from the ongoing review of the government’s flagship programs under the policy expenditure exercise, conducted by the World Bank, will be implemented while the review is completed.
Despite these discrepancies, the Finance Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting the vulnerable and emphasized that there is no cause for alarm. He further asserted that President Nana Addo Dankwak Akufo-Addo has made it explicitly clear that the protection of vulnerable groups will not be compromised.
