SEND Ghana and Oxfam mobilize CSOs to shape 2027 budget

SEND Ghana and Oxfam have organized a budget forum in Accra to engage civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth in shaping Ghana’s 2027 National Budget. The initiative aims to ensure the upcoming budget statement and economic policy addresses citizen priorities and advances the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Representatives from over 30 CSOs across several regions identified critical development needs. In education, participants called for the completion of abandoned school blocks, the deployment of special needs educators, and improved teacher housing in deprived areas. Regarding health, advocates requested that the sector's allocation be increased to at least 15 per cent of the national budget, in alignment with the Abuja Declaration, to fund essential medicines, equipment, and preventive care.

Additional proposals focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), including requests for annual water quality monitoring and earmarking funds for disability-friendly and menstrual health-friendly facilities. SEND Ghana intends to collate these regional and district-level observations into formal proposals to present to relevant ministries to inform the consolidated national budget.