The Government has cut its budgetary allocation to social \u200eprotection programmes by over 40 percent in the 2016 budget.<\/p>\n
The 2016 budget is the first budget in the second-year of a 3-year of the countries International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme that recommends austerity in public expenditure.<\/p>\n
According to the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), this is contrary to the Government’s promise to scale up expenditure in these areas whiles implementing austerity measures.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Citi News a senior budget analyst at ISODEC, Charlotte Afudego, said she had expected that \u201cat least social spending would go up but we see is that it is rather on a decline\u201d<\/p>\n
She noted that key areas like education and health were slashed in the budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at key sectors like education, it has received some decline. Water has experienced some decline and the social protection program as a whole with LEAP excluded, experienced a 54% decline.\u201d<\/p>\n
She insists the move to reduce the budgetary allocation will widen the inequality gap making the poor more vulnerable since they depend more on public services.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf government says that this time around they want to kind off protect the poor in a way since they are embarking on the IMF programme, then we were expecting to see something rather on the high side so that has been a major failure of the 2016 budget especially addressing issues of the poor.\u201d<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
By Delali Adogla-Bessa\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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