President Akufo-Addo, Dr Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong’s claim 5.7 million students have benefitted from Free SHS policy false
Claim: Kennedy Agyapong has repeated the claim that 5.7 million people benefitted from Free SHS during the NPP’s final rally.
Verdict: False
Explanation: According to the Ministry of Finance, the total beneficiaries of the Free SHS policy from 2017 to 2024 are 3,135,754. This figure is 2,564,246 lower than the 5.7 million President Akufo-Addo, Dr Bawumia, and NPP forerunner Kennedy Agyapong mentioned.
Year (Mid-Year Budget Statement)
Academic Year
Total First-Year Enrolment
2018
2017/2018 (Cohort 1)
362,118
2019
2018/2019 (Cohort 2)
432,791
2020
2019/2020 (Cohort 3)
404,851
2021
2020/2021 (Cohort 4)
423,320
2022
2021/2022 (Cohort 5)
555,353
2023
2022/2023 (Cohort 6)
447,396
2024
2023/2024 (Cohort 7)
509,925
Total Beneficiaries
3,135,75
False! Ghana is NOT third in Food security ranking in Africa
Claim: Ghana is third in terms of food security in Africa
Verdict: False
Explanation: During the final rally of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on December 5, 2024, ahead of the general elections, its flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, claimed that Ghana is ranked third in terms of food security in Africa because of the government’s policy interventions including Planting for Food and Jobs.
However, the Global Food Security Index (2022), which evaluates 113 countries based on the affordability, availability, quality, and safety of food in its latest report (2022) ranked Ghana 7th in Africa. The country ranks 83 globally with an overall score of 52.6.
It is therefore false that Ghana is ranked third in Africa for food security.
False! NSS 2016 allowance of ₵559 was not equivalent to $143.33
Claim: A flyer on social media claiming that the dollar equivalent of the National Service Scheme (NSS) allowance of ₵559 in 2016 and ₵715 in 2024 were $143.33 and $42.29, respectively.
The Bank of Ghana’s exchange rate as of December 5, 2024, is $1 to ₵14.9125. With the dollar trading at ₵14.9125, the dollar equivalent of ₵715 is $47.9463, not $42.29 as claimed.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0