The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo Constituency, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has raised serious concerns about discrepancies in the government’s sanitary pad programme as captured in the 2025 and 2026 national budgets.
Addressing the media in Parliament, Mr. Assafuah noted that he has observed “shifting figures and inconsistent explanations” regarding the sanitary pads referenced in the national budget and defended during parliamentary debates.
According to him, citizens are increasingly describing the matter as another example of what has become known as the “Chobo Government” a term used to criticize perceived mismanagement and inconsistency.
He emphasized that the figures under scrutiny were not provided by the Minority, but are contained in the government’s own official documents the 2025 and 2026 budgets.
These include the initial allocation of GH¢292 million, the stated target of 1.3 million girls, and the reported 6.6 million packs of pads distributed, all of which he says have mysteriously been altered or dropped in subsequent submissions.
Mr. Assafuah further questioned why the government was allegedly paying above retail prices for sanitary pads, why the reported beneficiary numbers do not reconcile, and why a new allocation is being requested while millions of pads remain undistributed.
He also demanded clarity on how suppliers were selected and what accounts for what he describes as an excess cost of over GH¢100 million.
He called on Ghanaians to join the Minority in demanding answers from the Majority and the government to ensure that there is true value for money in the award and execution of the sanitary pad contracts.
