Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Member of Parliament for Krowor and minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection has pledged to reform the school feeding programme.
Citing the 2024 NDC manifesto, the minister-designate promised to address the bottlenecks in the programme and the capitation grant, as outlined on page 118 of the manifesto.
Speaking during her vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 Naa Momo Lartey vowed to use dialogue to resolve arrears owed to Caterers by the government.
“I think one of my strengths is in dialogue. So I will engage with all stakeholders involved to find a lasting solution,” she stated.
“But once some payments have been made, I believe His Excellency John Mahama is committed to ensuring that not only does the implementation of the school feeding programme run smoothly, but also that the quality is assured.
“My role will be to work within that framework to ensure the remaining payments are addressed with the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Education,” she added.
When the minister-designate was asked about her plans to address the issue of sanitary pads, she called for urgent discussions on making sanitary pads more accessible and affordable to adolescent girls who are underprivileged, especially in rural areas, due to their inability to purchase pads.
Ms. Lartey explained that many girls, particularly in rural areas, are unable to afford sanitary pads, it forces them to miss school during menstruation.
This situation, she said, during her vetting at Parliament, makes girls more vulnerable to exploitation, as some rely on men who provide sanitary pads in exchange for favours. She highlighted the link between poverty and such vulnerabilities, emphasising the need for immediate solutions.
“Families often have to choose between buying food or sanitary pads,” she said.
“In most cases, they will prioritise food because it is essential for survival.”
Ms. Lartey proposed that the government work toward removing taxes on sanitary pads to make them more affordable.
In the meantime, she suggested creating a budget to distribute free sanitary pads to girls from low-income families.
She stressed that menstrual hygiene is a biological issue affecting everyone, directly or indirectly, and requires urgent action.
She also pledged to prioritise the inclusion of Ghanaian family values in the country’s educational system, if confirmed for the role.
She argued that incorporating traditional family values into education would enable the youth to better understand and embrace societal norms and cultural principles cherished by Ghanaians.
Her comments come amid an ongoing national debate surrounding the controversial Anti-Gay Bill, formally known as the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
“As the constitution stands, and as the voices of the people of Ghana have loudly declared, I cannot go against that,” she affirmed during her vetting.
“Beyond the enactment of the law, the goal is to integrate these values into our curricula so that children learn about these family principles from the very start. I believe this approach is more sustainable, in addition to the law being effective,” she added.
The Ghanaian Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, introduced in Parliament in 2021 by a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George, aimed to reflect what its supporters described as the collective moral values of Ghanaians.
The bill proposed severe penalties for individuals and groups advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, as well as those involved in same-sex relationships or supporting such causes.