The School Feeding Programme Secretariat under the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection has pledged to pay arrears owed to caterers, following nationwide protests.
The Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman, announced that the secretariat would begin processing payments on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
This assurance comes after caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme staged a demonstration to demand overdue payments for two academic terms—the third term of 2023 and the first term of 2024.
Protesters travelled from across the country to voice their grievances, claiming they had yet to receive their dues despite previous assurances from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department that funds had been disbursed to the Ministry.
Nana Sekyi Amoh, President of the School Feeding Caterers Association, described the financial strain caused by the delayed payments as unsustainable. “It’s a huge amount. I can’t give an exact figure, but it’s very huge,” she said. “We are requesting our two-term pay, third term and first term.”
Caterers, who pre-finance the program, revealed that the government’s failure to reimburse them has left them deeply indebted to suppliers and creditors. “We owe our creditors, and they are on us. You know how creditors come after you when you owe them for a long time,” Amoh lamented.
The group accused the government of repeatedly breaking its promises. “We are protesting because our leaders have been lying to us for a long time,” Amoh stated. “Since August, they said our money is ready. After the third term in September, they assured us we would be paid in November. November came, and we received nothing. Now December is ending, and there is still no communication.”
Despite a recent government statement announcing that payments would commence on December 31, caterers expressed skepticism. “We’ve seen the statement, but it doesn’t even have a signature. We don’t trust them anymore because they’ve been lying to us for too long,” Amoh said.
The protesters emphasized the necessity of their demonstration to compel the government to address their grievances and provide clarity on the status of their arrears. “We need accountability. They can’t keep making promises and leaving us in debt,” one caterer remarked.
As of the time of this report, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection had not issued an official response to the protest. Meanwhile, caterers have vowed to continue pressing for their payments, demanding immediate action to alleviate their financial burden.
The situation underscores growing tensions over the administration of the Ghana School Feeding Programme and the urgent need for transparent and timely financial management to sustain the initiative.
