Mr Siiba Alfa (2nd right), Public Relations Officer of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), briefing journalists on the release of GH¢25 million to the programme. He is surrounded by some officials of the GSFP.

Musah Jafaru.

Govt releases GH¢25m to pay school feeding caterers

Musah Yahaya Jafaru Jan - 05 - 2016 , 00:06

The government has released GH¢25 million to the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) to settle part of its GH¢60 million indebtedness to 5,000 caterers across the country.

The GSFP has started electronic disbursement of the money, which will cover the outstanding feeding fees for five days of the second term and 38 days of the third term of the 2014/2015 academic year.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra last Thursday, the Public Relations Officer of the GSFP, Mr Siiba Alfa, said the GSFP was expecting the release of the remaining GH¢35 million from the government this month to settle the outstanding 17 days of the third term and the whole of the 70 days for the first term.

"We are of the conviction that in January 2016 we would access the balance from government to enable us to pay the outstanding arrears immediately," he said.

The GSFP was introduced in 2005 to provide one square meal a day for pupils in basic public schools.

Electronic payment
Mr Alfa said the essence of the electronic payment was to ensure value for money, curb delays associated with previous modes of payment and also to inject transparency and accountability into the programme's financial system.

The MTN Mobile Money Services and the Ghana Interbank Payment Settlement System (GhiPPS) are the two organisations providing the electronic payment service.

According to Mr Alfa, the government had increased the feeding grants from 50 pesewas to 80 pesewas per child per every schoolgoing day.

The upward adjustment took effect from the third term of 2014/2015 academic year, which indicates that the 55 days of arrears of the third term and all the subsequent payment would be disbursed with the new rate of 80 pesewas, he said.

Mr Alfa urged all caterers to take notice of the upward adjustment and "accordingly improve on the quality and quantity of food they prepare for the school kids."

The GSFP, he also stated, would register all GSFP beneficiary pupils under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by the end of this year.

He said the cost of the registration would be borne by the government, and indicated that the programme would welcome assistance from donor partners.