Accra: Madam Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, announced the establishment of a Child Support Scheme aimed at assisting vulnerable children, orphans, and those rescued from trafficking. The initiative is part of the Ministry's broader agenda to address the basic needs of marginalized children and advocate for tax waivers on sanitary pads for girls.
According to Ghana News Agency, during her vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Madam Lartey emphasized the importance of providing affordable sanitary pads to vulnerable girls to prevent them from becoming dependent on men for such necessities. She also committed to improving the quality of food available through the School Feeding Programme to ensure proper nutrition for children.
Madam Lartey pledged to address outstanding payments to caterers within the School Feeding Programme and highlighted the need for decentralization to enhance food delivery and monitoring at the district level. She noted that adequate nutrition is essential for children's concentration and learning in school.
As a Member of Parliament for Krowor in the Greater Accra Region, Madam Lartey also reiterated the government's plan to establish a Women's Development Bank. This bank aims to offer flexible loans to traders and female entrepreneurs, addressing the gender disparities in current financial systems which predominantly favor men.
Responding to concerns about potential disadvantages to men, Madam Lartey clarified that existing financial frameworks largely benefit men, leaving women, especially those in the informal sector, at a disadvantage due to limited access to collateral and prohibitive interest rates. She expressed enthusiasm for the initiative and its potential benefits for Ghanaian women.
Madam Lartey assured that she would collaborate with the Ministry of Finance to actualize the establishment of the Women's Development Bank, fulfilling a key promise in her party's manifesto.
