Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey
The Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has stated that most of the school feeding caterers did not have valid contracts, leading to the termination of their agreements.
She also noted that monitoring reports indicated that many caterers were not cooking, despite being part of the programme.
Speaking on Citi News, the minister explained that the decision was part of conditions set by the World Bank.
“We are not doing this alone; we are doing it with the World Bank. There are criteria and conditions to meet, and we didn’t want to be harsh on the caterers. In all honesty, most of them know they don’t have valid contracts.
“School was on vacation, and they are just resuming. Monitoring reports showed that most of the caterers were not cooking, and they are aware of that. Some did cook, but not consistently. So, for those saying they made purchases and investments, I do sympathise with them,” Agnes Naa Momo Lartey stated.
She added that with World Bank support, the recruitment of caterers and others under the school feeding programme would be conducted digitally.
Her comments follow widespread disappointment among caterers over the lack of formal communication regarding the termination of their contracts.
According to the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the National School Feeding Caterers Association, Margaret Larbi, caterers first learned about the termination on social media and were not issued official letters.
In 2023, a total of 3,801,491 children benefited from the Ghana School Feeding Programme, which aims to provide meals in schools, boost enrolment, prevent starvation, and improve nutrition.
SA/AE
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