The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Assafuah, has raised serious concerns over the government’s decision to purchase 6.6 million packs of sanitary pads at a total cost of GH₵292 million for distribution to students, as captured in Appendix 4(a) of the 2026 Budget Statement.
According to Assafuah, the figures provided in the budget suggest that each pack of sanitary pads was procured at approximately GH₵44.00. He argued that this unit cost is unusually high, particularly when compared to public statements made by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ato Forson.
The minister had earlier indicated in a television interview on Wezor TV that the price of a pack of Yaz sanitary pads had dropped significantly from GH₵25.00 to GH₵15.00 due to what he described as prudent economic management under the government of President John Dramani Mahama.
Assafuah noted that the sharp discrepancy between the market price quoted by the Finance Minister and the cost indicated in the budget raises valid questions about the transparency and efficiency of the procurement process. He argued that even after accounting for logistics, transportation, and administrative costs, the GH₵44.00 per pack valuation still appears excessively inflated.
The Old Tafo MP therefore questioned whether the government may have overestimated or potentially inflated the procurement cost of the sanitary pads meant for students. He called for clarity and accountability from the Finance Ministry, stressing that public funds must be used responsibly, particularly in social intervention programmes targeting vulnerable groups such as schoolgirls.
