To avoid interruptions in schoolchildren’s lunch services, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) is pleading with the government to make sure that only caterers who can afford to pre-finance their contracts be hired under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).
Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Eduwatch, spoke about the issue on the Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, May 18, and emphasized the need of financial sustainability in the program’s caterer selection procedure.
“The government should ensure that local government recruits only caterers who have the financial muscle to finance the contracts that they are entering into,” he stated.
In order to increase efficiency, food quality, and transparency, Eduwatch has continuously pushed for changes to the GSFP, including advocating for the decentralization of contract administration and caterer procurement.
The organization has expressed concern about persistent issues, such as late payments and caterers who are finding it difficult to continue operating because of financial limitations.
According to Eduwatch, future interruptions would be avoided and the program’s capacity to promote school attendance—especially in underprivileged communities—would be strengthened if caterers had the financial stability to fulfill their contracts. In order to preserve the efficacy and integrity of GSFP, the organization is still advocating for immediate revisions.