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It has emerged that the Ghana School Feeding Programme has outlined new guidelines for the selection of caterers that is reportedly in clear breach of the Public Procurement Act.

According to a letter sighted by citifmonline.com, 30 percent of schools in each district should be reserved as protocol allocation for the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

The directive according to the statement is “from the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, based on a cabinet decision” and must be complied with by all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives. 

The directive per the statement signed by William Charles Quao, Acting National Coordinator for the School Feeding programme, will take effect from the 2017/2018 academic year which begins next month [September].

The Gender Ministry also charged the MMDCEs to also engage more women activists, women executives, queen-mothers among others as caterers for the programme.

“30 percent of the schools in the district should be reserved for protocol from the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection…The Final selection form the district which excludes the 30% protocol should include strong women activists, female opinion leaders, other women executives, queen-mothers and members of women groups,” the statement added.

The statement also made the following directive:

A panel, under the chairmanship of the MMDCE, comprising the following members below, is to be set up immediately;

An educationist
A health practitioner
A caterer nominated by the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection
Two women opinion leaders
One of the members should be selected as a secretary.
Forms should be sold at the stipulated cost of GHc50.00 and accounted to MMDCEs by 9/8/17.

We’ll settle school feeding arrears soon

The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba earlier said government had allocated GHc114 million to offset all arrears owed caterers under the school feeding programme.

“Concerning the caterers’ arrears…the NPP government has made provision for GHC114 million to pay the arrears, also for this year, GHC200 million has been set aside for the school feeding programme…So for caterers that we owe, government will certainly pay you; but it will not be immediate because the processes have to go through. So I am pleading to all caterers we owe that, the processes have started; and we will work on it as soon as possible to ensure that, those who did not cook for the 75 days we will deduct your monies and those who cooked throughout the 75 days, we will pay off your arrears. we are doing this to ensure value for money,” she added.