In the last few days, the Gender Women, Children, and Social Protection Ministry and its minister, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, have come under immense criticism for the failure to show any form of concern for the 15 children who died in an accident.
The argument on social media has been that the ministry is not aware of its mandate, and therefore, the president must act by removing the minister and bring in someone who understands the role better.
There are also calls for a revamp of the ministry’s communications office, since they could not monitor the media to know what’s happening and how best to deal with the issues at hand.
What’s even more worrying, according to persons leading the call for the removal of the minister, is the fact that the ministry deemed it right to issue a statement on the death of eight persons with some sense of urgency, but failed to do that immediately after news broke that some fifteen children had died.
The Ministry’s statement commiserating with the bereaved families was released on August 8, when the accident that took fifteen lives occurred on July 28, 2025.
To many, such discriminatory action must not come from a ministry that is supposed to be dealing with such social issues and ensuring the safety and well-being of children in the country.
