The Member of Parliament for Akyem Swedru in the Eastern Region, Kennedy Osei Nyarkoh, has questioned the impact of four government programmes, claiming that approximately GH¢1.075 billion has been spent on the initiatives within the past 20 months without significant benefits to the Ghanaian people and the economy.
The programmes cited by the MP are the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, the One Million Coders Programme, the National Apprenticeship Programme and the Adwumawura Programme.
According to Mr Osei Nyarkoh, the expenditure on the initiatives raises concerns about the effective use of public funds, particularly at a time when the country faces competing development needs and constrained financial resources.
He has argued that government spending on such interventions should be assessed against measurable outcomes, including the number of sustainable jobs created, the extent of economic empowerment achieved and the programmes’ contributions to national development.
He expressed concern that public resources could be channelled into temporary employment opportunities that do not provide lasting economic security for beneficiaries.
“The NDC government in last 20 months have spent about a billion Ghana cedis, that’s equivalent to about $87 million dollars on the following programs with zero impact on Ghanaians and the economy,” he stated.
However, the MP did not provide supporting data in his statement to substantiate his assessment that the programmes had delivered no impact. The expenditure figures and the outcomes of the initiatives would require verification against official budgetary, implementation and monitoring reports.
Mr Osei Nyarkoh listed the following amounts as expenditure on the four programmes:
– Nkoko Nkitinkiti: GH¢245 million
– One Million Coders Programme: GH¢200 million
– National Apprenticeship Programme: GH¢370 million
– Adwumawura Programme: GH¢260 million
The amounts add up to GH¢1.075 billion, exceeding the MP’s rounded estimate of GH¢1 billion by GH¢75 million.
The MP challenged the government to demonstrate the benefits generated by the spending, particularly in terms of employment, skills development, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
“The big question is what has been the impact of these programs? Can anyone tell me the impact these programs have brought to the country?” he asked.
A central concern raised by Mr Osei Nyarkoh is whether the initiatives have created lasting employment and economic opportunities or are primarily providing short-term assistance to beneficiaries.
He argued that government interventions should go beyond immediate support and create pathways for beneficiaries to become economically independent over the long term.
“How many permanent empowerment has these interventions created?” he queried.
His comments highlight the need to assess public programmes not only by the amount of money allocated or the number of people enrolled but also by the outcomes achieved after beneficiaries complete the interventions.
Such an assessment could examine how many participants have secured permanent employment, established viable businesses, increased their incomes or acquired skills that have improved their prospects in the labour market.
For initiatives focused on agriculture, digital skills, apprenticeships and entrepreneurship, relevant indicators could also include business survival rates, productivity improvements, access to markets and the ability of beneficiaries to sustain their livelihoods without continued government support.
However, determining the actual performance of the four programmes would require programme-specific data, including beneficiary numbers, expenditure records, implementation timelines and independently assessed outcomes.
Beyond the four programmes, Mr Osei Nyarkoh called for a stronger emphasis on accountability when political parties present campaign promises and development plans to the electorate.
He argued that citizens should demand more than manifesto commitments and insist that political parties explain the likely effects of their proposed policies before assuming office.
According to him, political parties should provide assessments of the expected economic and social impact of their promises, alongside clear explanations of how the initiatives would be financed.
“We must not only be interested in the Manifesto promises of political parties but rather we must demand from them the potential impacts assessments and outcomes of those promises on the people and the economy,” he stated.
He further urged the public to demand information on the funding arrangements for proposed interventions and the benefits they are expected to deliver to citizens.
The MP maintained that such scrutiny would help voters evaluate political commitments more critically and enable citizens to hold governments accountable for the use of public funds.
Mr Osei Nyarkoh also cautioned against the use of scarce national resources on policies that, in his assessment, deliver limited or no meaningful benefits to the country.
He called for greater attention to the long-term effects of government expenditure, arguing that public investments should produce demonstrable social and economic returns.
“We shouldn’t allow parties in Government to waste the already constrained resources of the country on policies that delivers little or zero impacts to the country,” he said.
His remarks add to the broader debate over how governments should measure the success of public programmes, particularly those designed to create jobs, expand skills training, promote entrepreneurship and improve household incomes.
While government initiatives may provide immediate support to beneficiaries, assessing their overall effectiveness requires evidence of both short-term results and longer-term outcomes.
The government’s response to the specific expenditure figures and the MP’s claims about the programmes’ impact was not included in his statement.
Official data detailing the expenditure incurred, the number of beneficiaries reached and the outcomes achieved would be necessary to establish the programmes’ performance and assess the concerns raised by the MP.
By 1960news.com
