Ministry will build safety nets for poor
The government has explained that the creation of the
Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is to co-ordinate and better
implement social intervention programmes aimed as safety nets for the poor and
vulnerable in our society.
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“The Ministry would be required to compile a database and track the effect of government's social intervention programmes on these segments of our society. The Ministry would have oversight of the Social Welfare Department, Disability Council, the LEAP Program and such other social intervention programmes that are aimed at an equitable distribution of national wealth.
A statement signed by Mr Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Information and Media Relations and issued in Accra today, said “the President’s appointment of Nana Oye Lithur is based purely on her competence and experience. Nana Oye in her work as a lawyer and with the Commonwealth Human Rights Institute (CHRI) has vast expertise in working with this segment of our society.”
It said: “In Ghana Human rights are mainstreamed and are the business of every ministry, department, agency or institution. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has not been created as a specific ministry for the defence or protection of any rights.”
It explained that in her work, as would be the work of other ministers, she (Nana Oye Lither) “will implement government policy as formulated by the Constitution, Cabinet, Parliament or any other such authorised institution.”
The statement emphatically stated that the government had no policy to promote homosexualism in Ghana.
On an earlier statement that the President did not have any prior close relationship with Andrew Solomon, an acclaimed author in the United States of America, it said that statement was not “entirely accurate”.
“In keeping with my commitment to provide accurate and reliable information about Government and the Presidency to the public, let me affirm that our then Vice President had a prior meeting with Andrew Solomon in furtherance of the former’s book writing project before the book launch event at which Andrew Solomon acted as a moderator.
“I however reiterate that Andrew Solomon’s relationship with the then Vice President John Dramani Mahama was only in furtherance of the book project which is acknowledged in the book itself. Andrew Solomon has not contributed financially or otherwise to the campaign of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 2012 election.
The statement reiterated the position that President Mahama did not subscribe to homosexualism and would not take any step to promote homosexualism in Ghana.