SEND Ghana Hosts Forum to Advocate for Enhanced Budget Allocations in Health and Education Sectors.

TAMALE: Stakeholders at a budget forum in Tamale have called on the Government to increase budgetary allocations to the health and education sectors, as well as social protection interventions to tackle some development challenges facing the country. They argued that most of the challenges in the health and education sectors such as low immunisation coverage, rising HIV and AIDS cases, widespread malnutrition, infrastructural deficits, inadequate furniture, and teacher accommodation were due to inadequate funding for those sectors.According to Ghana News Agency, the forum was organised by SEND Ghana in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund and OXFAM to collate input from stakeholders for the government's consideration in the 2025 National Budget Statement, which the Ministry of Finance would present to Parliament. The stakeholders, made up of NGOs, civil society organisations, and citizen groups amongst others, called for the establishment of a dedicated fund for vaccine procurement, increasin g government support for HIV and AIDS treatment, integrating nutrition interventions into the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty programme and strengthening health systems to address some of the critical challenges in the health sector.They also advocated for specialised schools and resources for visually impaired students to enhance inclusive education in the country. Dr Amankwa Poku, Director of Budget, Ministry of Finance, presented an overview of the country's macroeconomic performance and fiscal policy initiatives for the 2023/2024 financial years, emphasising the need for careful management to ensure market stability in this election year.Mr Christian Yemoh Tetteh, Senior Planning and Budget Officer, Ministry of Education, highlighted the country's education sector's progress in promoting literacy and developing skills for future generations. Alhaji Mumuni Mohammed, the Deputy Country Director of SEND Ghana, stressed the importance of prioritising the key issues raised during the forum in the 20 25 National Budget Statement. He mentioned that the issues raised would be compiled to engage the Ministry of Finance to consider them as part of the 2025 Budget Statement.