Implement 5yr Gender & Social Protection agenda – Minister designate urged

The incoming Children, Gender and Social Protection minister has been urged to consider a five year development agenda, drafted by the immediate past minister or else the ministry may not make desired progress in good time.

The five year development plan which was created after wide consultation with interested stakeholders captures issues regarding the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program, concerns over persons living with disability, the school feeding program amongst others.

These according to Awo Aidam Amenya, a gender activist and head of J-Initiative, are similar to promises made by the New Patriotic Party in their manifesto which the minister would be working with.

Speaking on TV3’s Midday Live, madam Awo Aidam Amenya said “I am expecting the gender minister designate when confirmed to work within a frame work setup by the previous government. The five year plan spans from 2017 to 2021. “When I looked at the present governments manifesto, chapter 11 talks about social development and under that the focus is more on persons with disability, school feeding program and LEAP and all of these are all captured in the five year framework as well.

“So I don’t want the situation where she will come and throw overboard, what has been done by the previous government and stand entirely new things. If we want to see a change, I feel the change must feed into a system and that system is the five year development agenda.” Otiko Afisa Djaba has been named minister designate for the Gender, Children and Social Protection ministry and she has been asked to continue the agenda of the previous government if the ministry is to succeed.