Old Tafo MP Questions Accuracy of Government’s Budget for Sanitary Pad Distribution
The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo Constituency, Hon. Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has raised serious concerns about inconsistencies in the government’s 2025 and 2026 budget allocations for menstrual hygiene and sanitary pad distribution.
Addressing the media at a press conference on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, Mr Assafuah explained that parliament had agreed to allocate specific days for debating on the 2026 Economic and Business Policy Budget.
When it was his turn to contribute to the debate, he began by addressing the government’s promise to support menstrual hygiene by providing sanitary pads to young girls to help improve school attendance.
According to him, the 2025 budget estimated that GH¢292 million would be used to procure 1.3 million packs of sanitary pads for Ghanaians.
However, in the 2026 budget, the government again indicated that GH¢292 million was spent on sanitary pads and also claimed that 6.6 million packs had already been distributed in 2025.
He stressed that even though he does not consider himself an expert in mathematics, a simple division of GH¢292 million by 6.6 million packs results in a cost of GH¢44 per pack.
He noted that many women may not have noticed this discrepancy, adding that even popular brands such as Yazz sanitary pads do not cost GH¢44 on the market.
He again questioned why the government would announce in Parliament that the price of sanitary pads had been reduced from GH¢25 to GH¢15, while the budget allocation suggests a cost of GH¢44 per pack.
He accused the government of misleading the public while praising itself for managing the economy.
The MP further argued that the figures provided by the NDC government are inconsistent and must be scrutinized. He urged the media to investigate whether the government is governing in the interest of Ghanaians or merely serving its own interests. He also expressed concern over the lack of sustainable or permanent jobs for the youth in the budget.
Touching on infrastructure, Hon. Assafuah explained that even in road construction, where labourers constitute about 90% of the workforce, their employment only lasts for the duration of the contract.
He insisted that the realistic allocation should have been around GH¢99 million, questioning how the government arrived at GH¢292 million for sanitary pads alone.
He concluded that the Minority is demanding accountability, clarity, and transparency regarding the budget figures presented to Parliament.
Report by PKB
