By; Rachel Kakraba
The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana, NETRIGHT- Ghana, has called for deliberate government action to curb revenue leakages and ease the burden of debt servicing, to free up funds for gender-responsive interventions.
NETRIGHT-Ghana, which is made up of CSOs working on women’s rights issues, believes improving efficiency in revenue management would create the fiscal space needed to invest in programmes that support women and other vulnerable groups to address gender disparities.
The Head of Secretariat, NETRIGHT-Ghana, Patricia Blankson Akakpo, said this during a policy conference on Gender and Social Development in Accra.
The conference was a platform for stakeholders to assess progress, address persistent gaps, and advance strategies for gender-responsive social development in Ghana.
Madam Patricia Blankson Akakpo, said the outcome of the conference will help improve social protection programmes to accelerate progress at achieving the SDGs.
“We want to look at the social interventions that we have in the country and how they benefit both women and men, especially the most vulnerable. So when you take social protection interventions, how do they impact on the livelihoods of women and men to ensure that their specific needs are addressed.
Adding on “We’ll look at the policies within social sectors and how it can be engendered to ensure that we achieve the SDGs because we know we have only five years for the end of the SDGs, and not only Ghana but across the world we are not doing well. So what can we do to ensure that we have a strong social protection system?”
Citing a study her organization carried out, she stated that “I did mention a research study that we carried out and the fact that the monies that we are using to service debts, the monies that we are using to pay interest or loans that we borrow, if we channel those things to support social interventions, it will benefit both women and men and improve social development in the country”
“We should be intentional about gender equality and social inclusion because we can not talk about social development without intentionally addressing gender and social and inequalities within the country” she added.
She noted that being intentional about gender equality and social inclusion is crucial, emphasizing that meaningful social development cannot be achieved without tackling gender and other social inequalities.
Policy Analyst and a Development Management expert, Dr. Esther Offei Aboagye, said while social protection remains an essential tool for reducing vulnerability and improving household welfare, key interventions, particularly cash transfer programmes, are not reaching all eligible beneficiaries.
“The framework and the enabling environment and the resources that the government provides versus the uptake how feasible, how equitably, can people access these without constraint. So, in the area of education, social protection, we recognize that strides have been made but an area like cash transfers, which impact directly on poverty is not reaching the eligible”
She emphasized the need for ongoing reforms to be co-created with women from all walks of life to ensure they are effective and inclusive.
“We are indicating that reforms should be co-created with women, not only the women who every day come out for the conferences and the engagements, but the women in the field, the women in the homes, the women who don’t think anybody listens to them, the women in the markets, and the women with their babies on their backs, should be part of this discussion”
Convenor, NETRIGHT Ghana, Prof. Akosua Darkwah, said meaningful social development is achievable if the country mobilizes its resources effectively and demonstrates strong political will. She urged policymakers to look beyond meeting global targets but instead reflect on the kind of country future generations will inherit.
