The Government of Ghana spent a total of GH¢8.94 billion on its flagship programmes in 2024, according to the latest Auditor-General’s report on the Whole-of-Government Accounts.

The Free Senior High School (SHS) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative received the largest share, with a combined allocation of GH¢3.6 billion.

The School Feeding Programme, overseen by the Ministry of Gender, saw an expenditure of GH¢1.13 billion, aimed at providing daily meals to millions of basic school pupils across the country.

Under the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative, GH¢917.5 million was spent on the Fertiliser Subsidy Programme to enhance agricultural productivity and improve food security.

Other significant allocations included:

GH¢628.9 million for the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme

GH¢533.5 million for nursing training allowances

GH¢438 million in transfers to the Youth Employment Agency

GH¢618 million for the Food Farmer Recovery Relief Programme

GH¢196.2 million for subsidies on the 2018 BECE and WASSCE examinations

GH¢113.4 million for teacher training allowances and feeding

GH¢102.4 million for scholarships and capitation grants for second-cycle schools

Additionally, the National Identification Programme received GH¢288.6 million, while GH¢33.2 million was allocated to support Arabic instructors under education services.

Zongo Development Initiatives were financed with GH¢7.4 million, and the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme—including stimulus packages—was allocated GH¢32.3 million.

Other disbursements included GH¢45 million through MASLOC to support microfinance activities, GH¢240 million for the Ghana CARES programme, and GH¢2.27 million to the Student Loan Trust.

While these investments underscore the government’s commitment to social and economic development, policy analysts continue to raise questions regarding efficiency, value for money, and the need for enhanced transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

The Youth Development and Empowerment Minister, George Opare Addo, has revealed that the government is actively negotiating with international educational institutions to settle an accumulated scholarship debt exceeding ¢700 million.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, July 22, the Minister assured affected Ghanaian students that the outstanding fees will be paid, even though the administration does not currently have the full amount in hand.

“We’re dealing with over ¢700 million in debt, which we inherited. It’s a heavy burden, and we are doing everything we can to address it,” he said.

Mr. Opare Addo explained that the debt comprises tuition and related fees owed to schools across the world, putting Ghanaian students at risk of expulsion. To prevent this, the government has deployed officials to negotiate with institutions globally.

“My registrar has been moving from country to country negotiating with these schools. We receive threats daily—some institutions are threatening to sack our students,” he stated.

He emphasized that the situation affects the lives of young Ghanaians and must be handled with urgency.

“This is about Ghanaian students. It’s about our citizens. We must find the money to pay,” he stressed.

Mr. Opare Addo commended the support of the Chief of Staff and the Finance Minister, noting that both are working closely with his ministry to find a solution.

“Some institutions have shown understanding, knowing we are a new government inheriting these issues. We’re slowly aligning and fixing the problems,” he added.

Responding to concerns about students being ordered off campus, the Minister acknowledged such cases but pointed to the previous administration’s failure to settle the debts as the root cause.

“You can’t blame this government for what we inherited. Some of these debts have been outstanding for over a year or two,” he said.

To verify the actual extent of the debt, the ministry has initiated an audit of the scholarship system.

“We’re auditing the system to determine the true state of things. We’ve met some of the students in London and discussed options,” he noted, although he declined to disclose all the details publicly.

He also revealed that some students who have completed their studies but have not returned to Ghana are still expecting stipends, which contravenes the terms of their scholarship agreements.

“Once you complete your program, you are expected to return home. Many want to stay and work abroad. But if you choose to stay, you forfeit your stipend,” he clarified.

Mr. Opare Addo said many students have agreed to forgo their stipends under this condition.

He concluded by reiterating that the audit will help clear the discrepancies and give a more accurate picture of the financial burden.

“As of now, the estimated debt sits at over ¢700 million, but we believe the final figure will be clearer once the audit is complete,” he stated.

A new performance audit by Ghana’s Auditor-General has unveiled a deeply troubling reality: 60% of basic and secondary schools across the country lack access to toilets and running water, placing students’ health, dignity, and education at risk.

The nationwide audit highlights a critical gap in Ghana’s progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which commits countries to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” by 2030. With just five years remaining, Ghana is far from meeting this target.

According to the 2025 performance audit, only 2 in every 5 schools have functional toilet and urinal facilities with running water. This means thousands of public schools are operating below the minimum sanitation standards.

The situation is even more dire when measured against local legal requirements. The Pre-Tertiary Education Act (2020) mandates at least one toilet cubicle for every 50 students. Yet, an alarming 87% of schools do not meet this standard. At Tamale Islamic Science Senior High School, 4,591 students share a single KVIP toilet with just two squat holes. In Kumasi’s State Experimental 1 M/A Basic School, 169 students depend on just one toilet.

This crisis is more than an infrastructure failure—it is a public health emergency. Poor sanitation is causing students, especially girls, to miss school during menstruation, face health risks from infections, or resort to unsafe open defecation. In Tamale, some girls have reported using bushes or public toilets when school facilities are locked due to water shortages.

This is not a new problem. In 2010, the Ministry of Education rolled out a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiative under the Education Strategic Plan (ESP 2010–2020), aiming to equip 75% of basic schools with sanitation infrastructure by 2020. That goal has not been met.

The audit attributes part of the failure to poor planning and misplaced priorities. In many cases, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) focus on building classrooms while neglecting sanitation needs. Some schools have water closet toilets that remain locked due to water shortages, while others have donor-funded toilet blocks that sit unused for years because they were never properly handed over.

Even in schools where toilets exist, maintenance is often neglected. The audit found disturbing conditions: faeces on floors, broken flushing systems, discarded sanitary pads, and filthy urinals. Cleaning schedules are not enforced, and many schools have never received basic cleaning materials.

This crisis forces children to make a heartbreaking choice—between attending school and preserving their dignity. For too many Ghanaian students, particularly girls, school has become a place of discomfort and risk instead of safety and growth.

Without urgent action, Ghana risks leaving a generation of students behind—not just academically, but in their most basic right to hygiene and human dignity.