Parliament House, Accra \u2014 The Member of Parliament for Savelugu, Hon. Hajia Fatahiya Abdul Aziz, has criticised the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, describing the government\u2019s allocations to social protection as inadequate and disconnected from the needs of vulnerable Ghanaians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contributing to the budget debate, the MP said that although the Finance Minister presented the budget as one aimed at resetting the economy for growth and transformation, the actual allocations reveal \u201cdeeply worrying trends,\u201d especially in programmes meant to support women, children, and persons with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Budget \u201cFails the Reset Test\u201d for the Vulnerable
Hon. Abdul Aziz questioned the government\u2019s commitment to closing the inequality gap, arguing that the numbers do not match the rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA reset for whom, Mr. Speaker?\u201d she asked, stating that the budget \u201cfails the reset test for our most vulnerable people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She noted that despite repeated promises, key gender policy frameworks\u2014such as the Affirmative Action Bill\u2014remain unimplemented, with the Legislative Instrument still pending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Underfunding of Social Protection
The Savelugu MP criticised the allocation of GH\u00a23.46 billion to LEAP, the School Feeding Programme, and other safety nets\u2014representing 0.22% of GDP. She said this figure is far below international standards and contradicts the African Union\u2019s Agenda 2063 recommendation for countries to increase social protection spending toward 5% of GDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She further argued that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, which bears a heavy mandate, remains \u201cgrossly under-resourced,\u201d receiving just 1.1% of total government expenditure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cuts to Domestic Violence and Child Protection Funds
Hon. Abdul Aziz expressed alarm at what she described as a troubling decline in financing for gender and child protection services. Allocations to the Domestic Violence Fund and Child Trafficking Fund have each been reduced to GH\u00a21 million, down from GH\u00a22.7 million and GH\u00a22.1 million respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis silence is a deafening abandonment of our women and children in their darkest hours,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She warned that the reduced funding is insufficient for shelters, investigations, victim support services, and anti-trafficking operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weak Investment in Social Protection Infrastructure
The MP also pointed to the Ministry\u2019s capital expenditure allocation of GH\u00a211.6 million, which represents just 0.36% of its total budget. She argued that such minimal investment threatens the development of welfare centres, rescue shelters, digital systems, and social welfare offices that are critical for delivering protection services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGender-Blind\u201d Initiatives
Hon. Abdul Aziz criticised the budget\u2019s flagship programmes \u2014 including the \u201cBig Push\u201d infrastructure programme and the 24-Hour Economy initiative \u2014 for lacking gender-responsive planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said the absence of clear targets for women-owned businesses, or measures to ensure job accessibility for women, risked widening existing inequalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Impact on Rural Women
Citing her constituency, she said rural women farmers and traders stand to benefit very little from the budget, which she argued fails to provide targeted support for climate-resilient agriculture, rural financing, and women-led micro-enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Call for Prioritisation
Summarising her concerns, Hon. Abdul Aziz said social protection remains below 2% of public spending, LEAP remains stagnant, and women and children\u2019s protection systems are severely underfunded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe people of Savelugu and millions of Ghanaians cannot thrive on promises alone,\u201d she concluded. \u201cThey require targeted investments and accountable implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Debate on the 2026 Budget is expected to continue as both sides of the House present contrasting perspectives on the government\u2019s spending priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Member of Parliament for Savelugu, Hon. Hajia Fatahiya Abdul Aziz, has criticised the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, describing the government\u2019s allocations to social protection as inadequate and disconnected from the needs of vulnerable Ghanaians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[1414,1415,1413,1416],"class_list":{"0":"post-2412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-news","8":"tag-2026-budget-debate","9":"tag-hon-hajia-fatahiya-abdul-aziz","10":"tag-savelegu-mp","11":"tag-social-protection"},"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n