Forum on budget receives poor patronage

Accra, Nov. 28, GNA - The National Programme Coordinator for Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF Ghana), Ms Bernice Sam on Tuesday expressed regret that though the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs was expected to do so much, the Budget allocation to it was a paltry amount.

The Budget has lined up more than 15 major activities for the Ministry in the coming year including bridging the gap in gender inequality as well as ensuring the welfare of children, but the expectation was that it should find other sources of funding. Ms Sam was addressing a day's forum aimed at soliciting public view on the 2007 Budget Statement organized by the Centre for Budget Advocacy of the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), which received very low patronage by both invited guest and the public.

Ms Sam said one of the criticisms of the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRSI) was the insufficient gender focus when addressing various poverty issues in the diagnostic, thematic areas and in the policy matrices.

"As a result, budgetary allocations over the past four years to MOWAC were significantly inadequate.

"In addressing this apparent gap, there were widespread consultations with civil society, Ministries, Departments and Agencies and experts on the proper inclusion of gender equality concerns at the diagnostic level.

"Despite an improvement in the focus of gender in GPRS II, it still falls short of a comprehensive coverage and inclusion in the themes and in the matrices," she said.

Ms Sam said the 2007 budgetary allocation to MOWAC was a total of 0.2 per cent of the total allocation to the Human Resource Development thematic area of the GPRS II.

Professor Cletus Dordunoo, a consultant with Claydord Consult, commended the Government for keeping inflation down for a number of years, and said what was lacking was an equal downward trend in interest rates to march the downward trend of inflation.

"We expected the Budget to address such rates especially the lending rates against that of inflation," he said.

Prof Dordunoo said despite the shocks from petroleum prices during the year it did not affect inflation and the Government had to be commended in this area.

He said the main problem with the Budget was that since 1958, Ghana's Budget had been overloaded with issues like ongoing projects such as road constructions.

"Some of these over emphasized statements should not be appearing in the Budget every year," he said, adding that the focus should be what the nation would be able to address in the 366 days. Mr Bishop Akolgo, Executive Director, ISODEC, said the Budget was the most important tool of the Government for its development programmes and so needed to be understood and welcomed by all irrespective of party affiliations. 28 Nov. 06