Following the government’s failure to pay caterers under the school feeding program this week, the caterers have been guaranteed that they would be paid next week.
Due to the government’s failure to pay caterers under the school feeding program, they stopped their services.
They complain that they have not gotten their payments for the past two terms, and that this is causing their businesses to collapse.
They also want their budget increased from 93 pesewas per kid to GH3.00, citing the exorbitant cost of food and the country’s present economic position as reasons for not being able to feed the pupils.
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The government said last week that financial clearance had been granted for caterers to be paid this week.
In a Citi News interview, the Ghana School Feeding Secretariat’s Head of Public Relations, Alfa Siba, stated the caterers should anticipate payment next week instead.
“It’s true, the caterers have still not been paid. But by the close of next week, it is very likely that they will be paid. The first timeline we gave was based on assurance. But the week has already ended. So by the close of next week, it’s possible they will be paid. There is a general challenge the country is facing with the economy”, he said.
This isn’t the first time the caterers have asked for a raise in the budget.
In 2021, a group of caterers chastised Sara Adwoa Safo, the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, for failing to address their concerns.
They claim that boosting the funding to GH3 will allow them to deliver excellent and sufficient meals to students.
School Feeding Program in Ghana
The Ghana School Feeding Program is part of Pillar 3 of the Africa Agricultural Development Programme, which aims to improve food security and reduce hunger in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (MDGs) on hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
A child presently receives 93 pesewas per day for a plate of food from the government.
The amount is deemed insufficient to offer a balanced and nutritious diet for child development.
SOURCE: CITINEWS
