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Stakeholders urge government: don’t cut funding to key sectors of economy
• The stakeholders
In spite of dwindling economic fortunes, the government has been urged not to cut expenditure on key sectors that seek to promote social and economic well-being of citizens.
Stakeholders say areas such as Education, Health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as well as Child and Social Protection should continue to receive adequate funding, in view of current economic hardship.
This and other recommendations were the highlights of a discussion on ‘Social Protection Financing in Ghana’ organised by SEND Ghana and its partners in Accra last Friday.
A United Nations International Children’s (UNICEF) Report presented at the forum indicated that reduction in expenditure of important sectors of the economy may adversely affect the gains made in reducing poverty and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The report which made analysis and provided recommendations across five strategic sectors observed that budget allocation to the education sector had decreased from 15.74 per cent in 2020 to 13.11 per cent in 2022, and that 90 to 95 per cent of the allocations to the Ministry of Education went into payment of compensation of employees.
This scenario which is evident in other government Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), according to UNICEF, would “negatively affect the delivery of social services, especially for women, children and the vulnerable.”
“Investing in children’s health, nutrition, sanitation, education and protection is important to unlock their potential and contribute positively to economic activities. The cost of inaction in these areas is enormous and cannot be overlooked,” it stated.
Stressing the need to secure social intervention policies, the report prompted the government to ensure “regular and timely” release of funds for social programmes such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) which had consistently experienced delay in payments.
The report established that though allocations for LEAP had seen “significant increases since 2017,” the value of the money paid to beneficiaries had reduced as a result of inflation, hence the need to adjust the payments accordingly.
In the health sector, it called for increase in total health budget as well as “investments that tackle the prevention and control of communicable diseases, neonatal health and adolescent reproductive health.”
While urging increased budget allocation to key sectors, it suggested “progressive revenue-raising policies,” to support social interventions and further proposed introduction of “a shock-responsive emergency fund to ensure that the government can respond quickly to emerging crises.”
Panelists at the forum, including Members of Parliament, Representatives of MDAs, Academia and Civil Society Organisations, maintained that government expenditure in areas such as social protection, education, health, among others, should be seen as an investment rather than waste of resources.
Mr Mawutor Ablo, Director, Ghana Productive Safety Net Project, Ministry of Gender and Social Protection (MOGSP), said equitable resource allocation to fundamental sectors of the economy would have positive impact on the citizenry and contribute to national development.
“Any money spent on the extremely poor and vulnerable is empowering them to become more productive so if we accept social protection as an investment we have to create the fiscal space for that to happen,” he noted.
Mr. Nii Lantey Vanderpuje, Member of Parliament for Odododiodo Constituency, also emphasised the need to increase funding for social protection and basic social services to help ease the economic burden on citizens.
Dr. Emmanuel Ayifah, Deputy Country Director, SEND Ghana, said the organisation would continue to engage the government and stakeholders on the issues raised which would be factored into the 2023 Budget and Economic Policy Statement of the government.
By Ernest Nutsugah
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
