Upper East Regional Coordinator of the School Feeding Programme, Georgina Ayamba has attributed government’s indebtedness to caterers under the programme to the ravaging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Madam Ayamba said government had always honored its financial obligations to caterers running the programme on time.
But the advent of the pandemic and its attendant economic crisis, she asserted, made things difficult for government, resulting in a delay in reimbursing them.
“Government owing caterers for 2 to 3 terms is not usual. The issue started 2022. And we all know what happened, the Covid. Everywhere, not only Ghana that we have concerns all over and people are experiencing the effects of COVID.
So I know this has been the concern and this has been the issue that 2022 that delays in reimbursement started and now, prices are shooting up,” she said.
She, however, indicated that the reimbursement processes are ongoing and caterers across the country will receive payment in few weeks time.
“Processes have gone far for the payment or reimbursement of the 3rd term of last academic year. I know within some weeks to come the monies for that term will be paid”.
Madam Ayamba acknowledged that the amount of money allocated for the provision of meals is inadequate and assured that steps are being taken to increase the allocation per head.
Her comments come at the back of agitations by the caterers over the failure of government to pay arrears owed them.
Some of the caterers have vowed not to cook for the schoolchildren unless government reimburse them monies they spent feeding the children for the past terms.
They say apart from the fact that monies allocated to them are insufficient, the erratic release of the allocations makes it unbearable for them to continue running the programme as they are unable to pay their suppliers.
In the heat of the agitations, Madam Ayamba had issued a statement, urging caterers in the region to continue cooking for the children in their various schools as she said government was taking steps to address their concerns.
