Oppong Nkrumah demands clarity on Women’s Development Bank, One Million Coders programme

Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has challenged the government to demonstrate how its flagship promises are translating into tangible economic opportunities for Ghanaians.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah has specifically demanded an update on the Women's Development Bank and the One Million Coders Programme, questioning the progress made on both initiatives and their impact on their intended beneficiaries.

In a statement, the former minister said the Women's Development Bank was introduced as a mechanism to improve women's access to affordable credit and provide financial support to businesses across the country.

He said the initiative was expected to support women entrepreneurs, traders and small-scale business operators to expand their activities, increase incomes and contribute to economic growth.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah, however, questioned how far the government had progressed with the implementation of the programme and called for details on the number of women who had so far benefited from loans through the initiative.

He also asked the government to disclose the resources committed to the bank, its current operational status and the arrangements through which women can access its financing facilities.

According to him, women who were promised affordable financing need clarity on when the programme will become fully operational and how they can benefit from it.

Turning to the One Million Coders Programme, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the initiative was announced to equip young Ghanaians with coding and other digital skills to improve their prospects in the technology-driven economy.

He said the programme had been presented as an important intervention to address youth unemployment by providing young people with skills that could lead to employment and other opportunities in the digital sector.

He nevertheless questioned the level of progress made towards the programme's target and asked how many beneficiaries had successfully moved from training into employment.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah called on the government to provide details on the number of young people trained, resources invested in the programme and employment opportunities created as a result.

He said the information would enable Parliament and the public to assess whether the programme was delivering the outcomes for which it was introduced.

He added that a comprehensive assessment would also help determine whether the two initiatives required adjustments, additional resources or changes in their implementation to ensure that the government's commitments translated into measurable benefits for citizens.