The Social Protection Bill 2025 intended to aid the establishment of the Social Protection Fund has been successfully passed by parliament.

This will provide a legal framework for social protection programmes that will enhance accessibility and equity in the delivery of social services to the impoverished communities.

“This bill will give legal backing and strengthen regulations of many social intervention initiatives in the country,” the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, said on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, July 31.

The Bill was passed after it faced strong opposition from the Minority in Parliament on Wednesday, July 30, who claimed that the proceedings lacked required quorum.

However, it has paved the way to set up the Social Protection Fund aimed at providing financial resources to tackle emergencies and the mobilisation of funds for social protection delivery.

The programmes include the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty LEAP, Ghana School Feeding Programme, Basic Education Capitation Grants, and National Health Insurance Exemption, among others.

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2025 has also been passed by parliament after taking the Bill through a certificate of urgency on July 16, 2025.

Explaining the purpose of the Bill to the House, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Hon. Emelia Arthur noted that the Bill had been revised to reflect Ghana’s commitment to the Blue Economy agenda.

She was of the view that this underscores the importance of harnessing marine and aquatic resources sustainably to support economic growth, social inclusion, food security, and environmental protection.

Parliament also passed the University for Development Studies Bill, 2025 after taking the Bill through a certificate of urgency.

Explaining the purpose of the Bill to the House, the Minister of Education, Honourable Haruna Iddrisu noted that the Bill seeks to establish the University for Development Studies(UDS) through the re-enactment of P.N.D.C.L 279.

This, he said, will help to restructure and empower the University for Development Studies to provide quality and higher education to meet the diverse and development needs of the country.

Presenting the report of the Committee to the House, the Chairman of the Committee, Honorable Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, indicated that the Committee acknowledges the significant structural changes that have taken place since the establishment of the UDS over the past 32 years of its existence.

Accordingly, it has become necessary to review P.N.D.C.L 279 to bring the law into conformity with current policy and best practices adopted in public universities in Ghana.

The Ghana Medical Trust Fund Bill, 2025, also known as MahamaCares, has been passed by Parliament.

The Bill, which was laid before Parliament on Monday, July 21, was opposed by the Minority; the caucus warned that it could put a strain on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) budget and its operations.

The fund is currently playing a pivotal role in enhancing healthcare access for many Ghanaians, particularly those battling chronic diseases and unable to afford the necessary medical treatment and those battling with chronic conditions like kidney failure, cancer, and heart diseases.

The launch event for the fund took place at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in Accra on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. The ceremony saw the attendance of key stakeholders from the healthcare sector and the corporate world.

President John Dramani Mahama, who officially introduced the fund, called on the private sector to support Mahama Cares as part of their corporate social responsibility.

“I want to encourage corporate Ghana, businesses, the mines, the banks, and all the other companies, that this Ghana Medical Trust Fund, is coming to your clients who save their monies in your banks or do business with you. Some of them are even your own staff.

“So, as part of your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), if you give anything, consider that you are giving to your own staff or customers. So, I would like to encourage all corporations in Ghana, both private and public, to at the end of the year, donate some portion of their annual CSR to Ghana Medical Fund because it is going to do a lot of good to the country,” he stated.

President Mahama committed to donating 50 percent of his annual salary to the Fund right at the launch, signaling strong leadership and personal commitment to healthcare equity.

Health Minister Mintah Akandoh also followed suit, announcing a three-month salary donation to back the initiative. He further disclosed that several cabinet colleagues had joined the cause, including Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare and Gender Minister Naa Momo Lartey, who had both pledged one month’s salary each.

To ensure broad-based participation, the President directed all government appointees to contribute the equivalent of at least one month’s salary to the Fund.

Further endorsing the initiative, Honourable Mintah Akandoh expressed his support for the initiative, describing it as long overdue. He emphasized that the fund would ensure equitable access to healthcare, particularly for individuals facing financial barriers to treatment.

Akandoh also announced a significant policy change to strengthen the programme, revealing that the government has removed the capping of the national health insurance firm. This, he explained, will unlock substantial resources for the fund.

“Most importantly, the uncapping of the capping of the national health insurance firm has been removed. This move has unlocked substantial resources to ensure that a dedicated allocation of funds will now support the Mahama Care Programme,” he added.

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang pledged four months of her salary to support the fund.

In addition, the general public has been encouraged to make contributions through the short code *255#, accessible on all mobile networks.

The initiative has recently received a boost with GHC2.2million worth of medicines donated by Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG) last week.

Items donated by the organization includes pain medication, blood tonics, anti-malaria drugs, cardiovascular and anti-diabetic medicines, as well as asthma management treatments.

During the presentation of the items by PMAG President Dr Samuel Tobbin, he stated that, “This donation is not just about medicine; it’s about restoring hope and dignity to the thousands of Ghanaians who rely on public health support."

“We believe that the MahamaCares Initiative presents a timely opportunity to demonstrate the power of local industry in driving national development.”

Telecel Ghana, Alive Industries, East Cantonment Pharmacy, and KMI Energies joined the list of benefactors that had assisted the initiative with their donation.

Telecel Ghana has pledged to support the initiative by equipping three (3) healthcare centers with HPV testing kits, digital colposcopes, and biopsy instruments.

The donation, which will also cover operational costs for these facilities over two years, is expected to enable the screening of at least 5,000 women in the first year, offering free diagnostic services to underserved communities.

Additionally, Alive Industries has donated ₵500,000.00, East Cantonment Pharmacy has contributed ₵50,000.00, and KMI Energies has supported the initiative with ₵5,000.00.

On Friday, May 16, service commanders of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) donated one month's basic salary to support the initiative.

Some 11 agencies under the Ministry of the Interior had collectively donated GH¢1 million to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund at a short ceremony at Jubilee House in Accra.

The breakdown of the contributions made by the agencies is as follows: Ghana Police Service (GH¢580,000), Ghana Immigration Service (GH¢100,000), Ghana National Fire Service (GH¢50,000), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) (GH¢50,000), and the Ghana Prisons Service (GH¢50,000).

Others include the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) (GH¢10,000), National Identification Authority (NIA) (GH¢50,000), Gaming Commission (GH¢50,000), Ghana Refugees Board (GH¢5,000), National Peace Council (GH¢5,000) and the Small Arms and Light Weapons Commission (GH¢10,000).

The Minister for the Interior and National Security, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, also made a personal contribution of GH¢50,000, while the Deputy Minister for the Interior, Mr. Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, also donated GH¢30,000.