Some caterers of the School Feeding Programme say they have finally received their payment from the government.
The caterers for several weeks now have been agitating over the non-payment of their monies, which had been in arrears for two school terms.
They also boycotted cooking until government pays them. The caterers on Tuesday, June 7 held a protest to demand their monies.
Subsequently, the Ghana School Feeding Secretariat has started settling them.
However, regions with lower school enrolment and lower amounts will be paid first.
So far, caterers in Savannah, Volta, Western North, Oti, Bono, Ahafo, Bono East and North-East regions have been paid.
Speaking to Citi News, the President of the Greater Accra School Feeding Caterers Association, Juliana Cudjoe said, although they are happy that some of their colleagues have been paid, they want the payment to be extended to the rest of the caterers.
“I just heard from our regional coordinator that some regions have been paid. They have been paid in full. I am happy because they are suffering a lot because some of them are owed five terms but in the Greater Accra Region, it’s two terms. So we are expecting that we hear something positive from them, so we can go back to work.”
Earlier, the caterers under the school feeding programme denied claims that government has released funds to pay caterers in five regions.
This comes on the back of information Citi News gathered that government has made payments to caterers in some regions.
Ghana School Feeding Programme
The Ghana School Feeding Programme is an initiative of the comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme Pillar 3, which seeks to enhance food security and reduce hunger in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (MDGs) on hunger, poverty and malnutrition.
The government currently provides 93 pesewas for a child per day for a plate of food.
The amount is considered inadequate to provide an adequate and healthy diet for child development.