Free sanitary pads for pre-tertiary female students will be sourced locally — Dafeamekpor

The Majority Chief Whip and MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, says the sanitary pads government plans to distribute to female pre-tertiary students will be sourced from local producers.

This follows a disclosure by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, that the government has allocated GH¢300 million to purchase 12 million pieces of sanitary towels for distribution 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 on Pan African TV.

The announcement raised concerns from the MP for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, who questioned why the government would not rather invest the funds in setting up a local factory.

“If the government has GH¢300 million to procure sanitary pads for female students, why not invest that amount in setting up a local factory to produce them?” he asked on Accra-based Metro TV.

Reacting in a social media post on Monday, April 14, the South Dayi MP clarified that the government has no intention of importing the sanitary pads.

“Hon. Kennedy Osei Nyarko, what makes you think that the procurement of sanitary pads for our school girls will be done from abroad?

“JM and the NDC government will source these pads from local manufacturers. It is when our local manufacturers of these pads can’t meet demands that government may be compelled to bring in some from outside,” he stated.