Dr. Apaak corrects false claims on sanitary pad contracts

Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Clement Apaak, has dismissed claims that the government awarded contracts for sanitary pads at an alleged unit cost of GHC45 per pack, insisting that no such arrangement ever took place and that recent assertions were unfounded.

Delivering remarks on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, Dr. Apaak, who serves as MP for Builsa South, said it was important to set the record straight after concerns were raised during the debate on the 2026 budget.

He explained that the Ministry of Education, which is mandated to operationalise the sanitary pad distribution policy, had followed a clear and transparent process guided by approved budget figures.

“I will like to confine my comments to the matter pertaining to the allocation of GHC292 million towards the procurement and distribution of sanitary pads for our students in Upper Primary and JHS,” he said. “It is only proper that I correct some misinformation that came up yesterday during the debate and has been repeated a little while ago.”

In a prior debate in the House, Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, questioned the GHC292 million allocation for the procurement of 6.6 million sanitary pads.

He argued that the figures did not reflect prevailing market prices and suggested possible cost inflation. His concerns triggered renewed public scrutiny of the programme’s expenditure.

Dr. Apaak reiterated that the policy was designed to remove barriers that prevent girls from maximising educational opportunities, noting that the Ministry had recorded progress since its introduction.

“In the 2025 budget, GHC292 million was allocated for the procurement and distribution of sanitary pads,” he said. “Let me put on record that at no time did the Ministry of Education engage any company, contract any entity to supply sanitary pads at a unit cost per pack of 12 pieces at GHC45 cedis. This is a falsehood.”

He explained that the Ministry split the total quantity into two batches.

“The Ministry segregated the total quantity of sanitary pads to be bought with the 292 million into two batches. The first batch composed of 6,637,095 pieces. The second batch composed of 5,601,245 packs.”

Dr. Apaak reported extensive distribution across the country. “As I speak to you today, 6,607,173 packs have been distributed to 2,578,519 students,” he said. He further corrected assertions that senior high school students were excluded, stating, “It is again not accurate when the claim is made that our students in senior high schools were not included. They were.”

“There is no scandal, no prices have been inflated,” he pointed out spiritedly in Parliament.