The Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) is calling on corporate Ghana to support the ministry in its mandate of delivering social services to the vulnerable in society.
According to the ministry, this has become necessary because for some time now, the budgetary allocation to the ministry is small to cater for the expenses hence the need to sell the strategy to the private sector for support.
Speaking at the second day of the MoGCSP annual summit 2022, on the theme, “Strengthening Resource Mobilization for Effective Social Delivery,” the Deputy Minister of MoGCSP and Minister-designate, Mrs Lariba Zuwiera Abudu said the ministry is upbeat to present a strategy to woe private investors in supporting them deliver on their mandate.
Mrs Abudu said the summit is organized every year to bring onboard development partners, corporate bodies and the private sector to educate them about the work of the ministry and the need to get support from the private sector to develop its goals.
Even though budgetary allocation is small, it does not pertain to our ministry alone but other sectors because of the ongoing economic crises and its global impact, not Ghana alone, “ she stated.
“It is time we look at the budgetary allocation to MoGCSP, the government is doing its part in terms of social development and LEAP so we need a review of our policies which will allow civil society to contribute its quota.”
Mrs Abudu said the contribution of the private sector has been long overdue and this can cushion the ministry’s delivery and increase the allocation to help the vulnerable in society.
“So is a clarion call and I think somebody will listen to us,” she stated.
She admitted that going forward, the ministry will highlight its scope of work adding that there are a lot of things the Ministry do that the public is not aware of.
The strategy now is that we need to sell and educate Ghanaians about the thing we do especially to the private sector can support us build shelters for women and children across the country.
The minister said a lot of women run to the ministry for help but before you listen to them, first of all, you need to shelter them and if it is criminal, you refer it to the police because sometimes some of them run to us in panties.
“So, you need to send her back home or you need to clothe them first and these are things that we need to sell to the private sector to come to our aid to support us and that is the returns because the women may be becoming from your sectors. In situations like that the women need to be accommodated and counselled psychologically so they can go back and work.
“Another area we are looking at is an innovative way of renovating the Efua Sutherland Park. We are pleading with all private organizations, corporate Ghana to come on board and help us develop the park because every country needs a children’s park where parents would be comfortable to bring their children to play, “ she stated.
“We are appealing to the banks to develop the park for us because we can establish a bank there where we will inculcate in the children the savings attitude so that they will grow with it.”
Answering a question on how some hospitals ask rape victims to pay fees before they are been examined on alleged rape cases, the minister said that is why the ministry is now calling for support from the private sector to help, “I think there is a component of the law that allows hospitals to examine rape victims freely and urged victims to always report such cases to the ministry.
