The Minister-designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has pledged to address the persistent delays in payments to caterers under the government’s school feeding programme.
Her commitment follows widespread concerns about unpaid arrears and the quality of meals provided to schoolchildren.
Speaking during her vetting by the Appointments Committee on Wednesday, January 22, Naa Momo Lartey assured Ghanaians of her resolve to tackle these issues and ensure the programme’s smooth and effective implementation.
“Our manifesto [National Democratic Congress] clearly outlines our goal to address the bottlenecks in school feeding and capitation grants. We even aim to extend the programme to private schools.
“From my checks, about 40 days of payments have been made, but 31 days remain in arrears. This is something I am committed to resolving.”
She also underscored the importance of prioritizing the quality of meals provided to schoolchildren.
Naa Momo Lartey pledged to collaborate closely with stakeholders to develop lasting solutions to the challenges faced by the school feeding programme.
“One of my strengths is fostering dialogue with all involved to achieve sustainable outcomes. With payments already initiated. I am confident that the President [John Dramani Mahama] is committed to not only maintaining the program but also ensuring the quality of food is upheld.”
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