Kennedy Osei Nyarko, the Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, has sparked a critical debate over the government’s decision to spend GHS 300 million annually on procuring sanitary pads for female students in public schools.
In a Facebook post, the lawmaker urged the government to rethink this approach and instead invest in establishing a local sanitary pad manufacturing factory, a move he says would be more sustainable, cost-effective, and economically empowering.
“If the government has GHS 300 million to procure sanitary pads for female students, why not invest that amount in setting up a local factory to produce them”, Osei Nyarko questioned.
He pointed to the relatively low cost of setting up a sanitary pad production line, citing a Chinese factory’s machinery capable of producing 12 tons of sanitary products daily for around $60,000.
He recounted “The last time I checked with a factory in china that produces a complete set of a sanitary products machinery that can produce a minimum of 12 tons of product each day the cost was around $60,000 so why will the Government spend 300 million each year to purchase sanitary pads for female students in our public schools.
He added by urging the government to consider forming a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with private sector partners to drive local production.
“Any serious Government would have considered setting an SPV with a private participation to produce same perpetually. I think the 6th president should rethink about this policy and save the taxpayers money.”
The government’s initiative to provide free sanitary pads to approximately 1.3 million female students nationwide is a commendable effort to tackle period poverty and improve school attendance.
Local manufacturers currently exist but operate below capacity due to market constraints and competition from cheaper, often substandard imports.
The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has stated that the government is taking decisive steps to curb truancy among girls of school going age, because of the lack of hygiene items.
He made this remark while speaking about the NDC’s first three months in power, on Pan African TV’s Talk Time with Kwesi Pratt Jnr, on April 12, 2025.
He disclosed that the government has allocated GHe300 million to purchase 12 million pieces of sanitary towels to be shared to female students in deprived communities.
“About GH¢300 million has been set aside to purchase about 12 million pieces of sanitary towels to share to girls in needy areas,” he said.
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo owusu
