Researcher Critiques 2026 Budget for Ignoring Care Work as a Public Good

Accra, April 3 – Dr Faustina Obeng Adomaa, a researcher, has criticised Ghana’s 2026 budget for failing to recognise care work as a public good.

Speaking at a meeting organised by the Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), Dr Adomaa highlighted that the budget lacks a dedicated line for care work, leaving unpaid care labour undervalued and largely invisible in national economic planning.

Key Points Raised

• Care work is fundamental to social reproduction, yet the majority of this labour is overlooked in official policy.
• The 2026 budget privatises and financialises care, treating it as a private responsibility rather than a societal or economic priority.
• There is no integrated care infrastructure and limited coordination to support caregivers.

Dr Adomaa urged the government to recognise care infrastructure as economic infrastructure, not charity, and to strategically invest in care through care-sensitive budgeting, framing it as a key driver for economic growth and social development.

“We need to strategically shift care as an investment in the economy,” she said, calling for deliberate policy measures to support care work across sectors.

GNA

Edited by Christabel Addo

03 April 2026