<<Print>>

Officials have assured caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) that payment of arrears will start from Monday, July 29, 2013. �The caterers will be paid some money with effect from Monday,� said the National Coordinator of GSFP, Seidu Adamu on TV3�s Midday Live. He indicated that delay in payment has been as a result of budgetary constraints but the Ministry of Finance began releasing funds last Friday and the necessary processes have been undertaken for all caterers to receive their monies. There were media reports that over 5,000 caterers under the programme have not been paid since the beginning of the year. This was denied by one of the caterers. She gave her name as Auntie Ama on Midday Live. Auntie Ama said it is only the second term that has suffered non-payment. �We have not been paid the whole of the second term. We have taken loans for the job and once we have not been paid it is a worry for us,� she told TV3�s Nana Akua Asare on Friday, July 26, 2013. She indicated that the non-payment of their monies has not affected the quality of food. �It is the quantity that has been affected,� Auntie Ama stressed. She, therefore, asked for increment in the fees per plate per pupil from the current GHp40 to GH�1. Already, government has increased the fee to GHp 50, as captured in the 2013 budget statement. Mr Adamu assures that the GSFP Secretariat is drafting a policy, which will be followed by a legislation �and the source of funding will be identified.� He also stressed that even government�s GHp 50 proposal is not enough. �We are looking forward for an increase.�