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GH¢2bn demand threatens fiscal stability—Dep. Fin. Min. pleads with striking nurses
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has issued a direct appeal to striking nurses and midwives, urging them to return to the negotiation table.
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) commenced an industrial action on Tuesday, June 4, which has brought vital healthcare services across over 300 public hospitals and clinics in all 16 regions to a near standstill.
Thousands of patients have been left stranded, with emergency units operating minimally and scheduled surgeries postponed indefinitely.
The nurses and midwives initiated the strike over what they describe as prolonged delays in the implementation of their 2024 Collective Agreement, which addresses critical conditions of service and remuneration.
While acknowledging their indispensable role in healthcare delivery, the Deputy Minister emphasised the severe budgetary constraints facing the nation, stating that fully meeting the nurses’ current demands would add “in excess of GH¢2 billion” to the national compensation budget.
Speaking at a joint press briefing with the Minister of Health today, Mr. Nyarko Ampem conveyed the government’s commitment to resolving the industrial action, recognising the critical importance of Ghana’s over 120,000 nurses and midwives to the health sector.
“Our nurses are very, very critical to healthcare delivery, and we appreciate what they do,” he stated.
However, the Deputy Minister quickly pivoted to the challenging economic realities.
He explained that the magnitude of the nurses’ demands for improved conditions of service poses a significant threat to the government’s fiscal consolidation efforts.
A GH¢2 billion increase in the compensation budget represents a substantial financial burden, potentially consuming a significant portion of the annual budget allocated for essential services or capital investments.
For context, this figure could account for over 10% of the health sector’s entire annual budget or fund multiple crucial infrastructure projects.
Mr. Nyarko Ampem underscored the government’s overarching commitment to macroeconomic stability, particularly under the ongoing IMF Extended Credit Facility programme.
“We have all committed that in our resolve to reset the economy of this country, we must maintain a 1.5% primary balance surplus every year in order to bring our debt levels to sustainable levels,” he highlighted.
Ghana’s public debt-to-GDP ratio remains a concern, hovering around 75%, making stringent expenditure management paramount to avoid further debt distress.
“So it is important for us to manage expenditure,” he stressed, appealing to the healthcare professionals to understand the broader economic context.
“We want to appeal to our revered nurses that we are willing to negotiate to settle them and the Ministry of Health to agree on a road map that will help us incorporate what can be accommodated in the budget for next year.”
The Deputy Minister expressed optimism that the nurses appreciate the government’s “hard work we are all doing to manage the economy better,” urging for a collaborative approach to achieve a “win-win situation for all of us.”
The proposed roadmap suggests a phased implementation of new conditions of service, likely spread across multiple budget cycles, to ensure fiscal prudence while addressing the legitimate concerns of the healthcare workforce.
Source:myjoyonline.com
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EC to conduct elections in selected polling stations at Ablekuma North
As part of its commitment to resolve the impass egarding he Ablekuma North Constituency Parliamentary Election, the Electoral Commission(EC) yesterday, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, met with the representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The meeting, which was a follow-up to an earlier meeting held on Thursday, June 12, 2025, provided both parties the opportunity to brief the commission on any new
developments regarding the said constituency.
The parties informed the Commission that their positions put forward at the last mecting remained unchanged.
The NDC held the view that the election should be rerun thirty -seven
(37) Polling Stations because scanned Pink Sheets from 37 Polling Stations which were used to
collate the results, were provided the NPP.
The NPP was of the view that the results from three (3) outstanding Poling Stations be collated and a winner declared since the NDC Agents had verified and confirmed
the scanned Poling Station results they presented.
According to the EC, it is important for the public to understand that the issue in contention has to do with
the fact that 37 Pink Sheets provided by the NPP and used to colate the results were scanned copies.
“The Public may recall that Political Party supporters besieged our Collation Centre and
destroyed a number of the Pink Sheets for the Ablekuma North Parliamentary Elcction during the collation of results following the December 7 Gencral Election,” the EC added.
After extensive deliberations, the Commission informed the Political Parties that it would
proceed to rerun the election in 19
of the 37 Polling Stations.
The Commission arrived at the decision to rerun the election in the underlisted Polling Stations because, the scanned Polling Station resuits used for the collation, though approved by Agents of both political Parties, were not verified by the Presiding Officers responsible for the Polling
Stations.
According to the EC, it is instructive to note that the Commission was able to secure the Presiding Officers
verification and confirmation for 18 scanned Polling Station results-
Agents of both parties also approved same.
The election will be held on Friday, July 11, 2025
The Commission has further urged the Ghana Police Service to provide the needed security to ensure a safe environment for the conduct of the election.
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The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Addresses Parliament.
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Emelia Arthur has disclosed that in 2021, Ghana was issued a yellow card by the European Union after being identified as a non-compliant third country in the fight against illegal fishing activities.
According to the Minister, the government, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, has engaged the European Union(EU) through the Ghana European Union dialogue, to address the concerns raised by the European Union(EU).
The engagement included the implementation of an action plan, periodic update report and validation exercises.
“We are happy to report that Ghana has made significant progress in resolving key concerns, primarily related to lapses in the regulatory framework, fisheries enforcement, and traceability,” she stated.
Also, she emphasized that a review of pending actions indicates that the enactment of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, along with its accompanying regulations, remains critical to enhancing fisheries governance in Ghana.
She further informed the House that the Ministry has already submitted the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, 2025, to the House.
The bill was later referred to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Cocoa Affairs for consideration.
The Minister made this statement in response to a question posed by Member of Parliament for Atwima Mponua, Seth Osei-Akoto, regarding the immediate measures the ministry is implementing to sanitize Ghana’s fishing sector in the light of the European Union’s warning that Ghana could face a potential red card.
