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Oppong Nkrumah slams Government for withholding details on 11 flagship programmes
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has criticised the government for failing to submit programme documents on 11 major national initiatives, including the 24-Hour Economy.
According to him, the government’s failure to present detailed documents on these flagship projects undermines parliamentary oversight and accountability.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said although the government lists these programmes in the national budget and allocates huge sums of money to them, Parliament and the public have not seen any clear plans showing how the initiatives will be implemented or monitored.
“The big economic policy that is submitted just mentions these programs that we’ll do a One Million Coders Program aimed at training one million people for digital skills. People will say ‘hear hear.’ A figure is put by it, the minister defends it at the committee level, and it’s approved. But that doesn’t mean that the programme document has been brought to Parliament or published,” he explained.
The Ofoase Ayirebi MP listed 11 programmes that have so far not been backed by any official documents. These include the One Million Coders, 24-Hour Economy , Jobs Export, Adwumawura, National Apprenticeship, Tree for Life, Accra Research , One Child One Tree Initiative, Ghana Infrastructure Plan, Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities, and the No Fee Stress Programmes.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said it is worrying that millions of cedis are being disbursed for these projects even though there is no publicly available information on their goals, selection criteria, or performance indicators.
“How does the media, civil society, or even the general public know the details or how to access these programmes?” he questioned.
He revealed that his information suggests the issue has already been discussed at Cabinet level, and that the President has instructed ministers to submit the necessary documents to Parliament.
“The programme documents need to come so that Parliament can properly perform its oversight role,” he stressed.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Mrs Patience Antonio, a Child and Family Development Advocate, has called for a national campaign to reduce the growing reliance on breast milk substitutes among nursing mothers in Ghana.
According to Mrs Antonio, scientific evidence shows that breastfeeding improves a child’s emotional stability, boosts intelligence, strengthens the immune system, and provides long-term health benefits. She made these remarks in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week, emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding for a child’s overall development.
She explained that breastfeeding is not just a biological act of feeding but a key emotional and developmental bridge between mother and child. She also highlighted the need for the recommended six-month maternity leave period to ease the pressure on mothers to return to work prematurely.
“Breastfeeding creates intimacy and trust. It assures the baby of love and security, which becomes the foundation for their emotional health,” Mrs Antonio noted, warning that abandoning exclusive breastfeeding could have long-term implications on children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Consequently, she called for a minimum of five months of fully paid maternity leave for Ghanaian mothers to enable effective breastfeeding, bonding, and healthier child development. She also urged workplaces to implement family-friendly policies, including private spaces for breastfeeding, flexible working arrangements for nursing mothers, and stronger support systems for new parents.
Mrs Antonio further encouraged families and society to actively support mothers during breastfeeding, stressing that many women struggle due to lack of assistance at home or the pressure to return to work too soon. She emphasized, “If we want a healthier, emotionally stable generation, then we must make breastfeeding a priority and support mothers to do it without stress.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Spectator
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The Nanvili Community School in the Mion District of the Northern Region is facing severe infrastructural challenges, affecting teaching and learning for pupils in the area.
The school, which serves five surrounding communities with a total of 58 pupils, has deteriorated to the extent that many children have stopped attending classes. Poor classroom conditions and the lack of desks have made teaching and learning difficult. During a visit to the school, the gate-free classrooms were found filled with goat and sheep droppings.
During the rainy season, both teachers and pupils are often cut off from the school due to bad roads and flooding. Teaching activities are frequently suspended for weeks, negatively affecting academic performance.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Dawuni Mutawakil, expressed concern, noting that the situation is worrying since these pupils are expected to compete with their counterparts in urban areas who have access to better facilities. He added that due to limited space, classes have been merged, with pupils from Primary One and Two, Three and Four, and Five and Six sharing the same classrooms.
The Chief of Nanvili, Abu Kassim, also appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations to come to the aid of the community. He emphasized that the current state of the school discourages children from nearby communities from attending.
Both the Chief and Assemblyman have called for urgent intervention to improve infrastructure and provide furniture for the pupils to ensure quality education for children in the Nanvili area.
By Geoffrey Buta, Nanvili, Northern Region
Spectator
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