Parliament has vetted the Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey.
The vetting of Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister-Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, provided an opportunity for her to articulate her vision, priorities, and strategies for addressing the pressing needs of vulnerable groups, women, and children in Ghana.
She emphasized the government’s commitment to making resources available, stating;
“Persons with disability and other vulnerable groups within society are protected. And so, making resources available, ensuring that there’s advocacy, enough sensitization on the affirmative action act, and allocating resources to ensure implementation is key. Basically, this is what the vision of the president is.”
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
When questioned on the president’s vision being embedded in the Affirmative Action Act passed under President Akufo-Addo, she clarified;
“Yes, I am talking about the Affirmative Action Act passed by the 8th Parliament, spearheaded by the Speaker of Parliament under the Akufo-Addo regime.”
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
The nominee acknowledged ongoing challenges with the School Feeding Program, including late releases of funds and caterer strikes. She reaffirmed;
“Clearly from the manifesto, you realize that the intention is to address the current bottlenecks that we have around school feeding and the capitation grants. In our manifesto, we want to extend to even the private schools.”
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
Providing updates on the payment of arrears owed to caterers, Hon. Lartey said;
“From my checks from the ministry, there’s an indication that about 40 days have been paid, with 31 days in arrears. I believe His Excellency has committed to ensuring that the implementation of the school feeding program goes on smoothly and that quality is assured.”
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
She further emphasized her approach to resolving these challenges, stating;
“One of the things I know is my strength is dialogue with whoever is involved for us to find lasting solutions. I will work within that framework to ensure that the rest of the payment is done with the finance ministry and the Ministry of Education.”
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
Hon. Naa Momo Lartey outlined the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank as a key initiative to support women. She emphasized;
“The Women’s Development Bank is a program that is supposed to actually support women in business. Unlike the traditional banking system, it is supposed to be quite flexible for women to access loans. One of the challenges that we have when it comes to women in business is accessibility to loans and other logistics where you have to bring collateral—it is a difficult thing.”
“This is women-focused, with flexible terms and low interest rates. From what His Excellency said, it’s going to be from GOG (Government of Ghana). Like many other programs, it is going to be inter-sectorial, leaning on the Ministry of Finance to provide the GOG portion.”
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
She assured the committee of the program’s funding prospects. She prayed;
“I’m expecting that God willing, when the Finance Minister presents the budget, this will be adequately captured. Donor partners and the private sector are also expected to come on board to ensure that this is adequately catered for.”
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
Supporting Deprived Coastal Communities
As a native of Nungua, Hon. Naa Momo Lartey expressed her commitment to addressing the challenges faced by coastal communities. She noted;
“Clearly, most of the coastal communities are quite deprived, with a lot of the population falling within the vulnerable group. I will ensure that interventions from my ministry reach these communities effectively.”
Hon. Agnes Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
A key priority for the nominee is supporting the president’s vision which she highlighted;
“Not only will we ensure the implementation of the school feeding program goes on smoothly, but also that the quality is assured. These programs are designed to align with the president’s vision of gender parity and equality.”
“I believe in dialogue and engaging with all stakeholders involved to find lasting solutions to challenges. This is how I intend to work as a minister.”
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey Minister Designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection
Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey demonstrated a clear understanding of her role and responsibilities during her vetting. Her responses showed a commitment to empowering women, protecting vulnerable groups, and addressing systemic challenges within her ministry.
With a focus on advocacy, inter-sectorial collaboration, and innovative programs like the Women’s Development Bank, she pledged to drive initiatives that would create a more inclusive and equitable society for all Ghanaians.
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