Food suppliers picket at NAFCO, highlight funding discrepancies and call for Audit of Free SHS

On Friday, July 7th, the Honorable Speaker of Parliament summoned the Ministers of Education, Agriculture, and Finance to brief the House on the recent picketing by the Ghana Association of Food Suppliers.

The food supply contractors had been protesting and staying at the premises of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), demanding payment of outstanding debts totaling GH¢270 million from the government.

The Speaker’s directive came after compelling submissions from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) group in Parliament, urging intervention in the matter.

While awaiting the appearance of the summoned Ministers on Wednesday, July 12th, Members of Parliament took the opportunity to shed light on the situation and share vital information with the Ghanaian public.

The controversy surrounding the picketing began with the Minister for Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, intervening during a visit by the NDC group in Parliament to empathize with the food suppliers and gather firsthand accounts of the issues.

Although the visit aimed to better understand the challenges faced by the suppliers and prepare for the parliamentary hearing, it led to unnecessary drama.

The NDC members of Parliament received commendation for their steadfastness and were within their rights to visit and interact with the picketers.

However, the food suppliers, who had been picketing and drawing public attention to their grievances by sleeping, cooking, and wailing at NAFCO for four days, have now suspended their action.

This decision was based on assurances from the Minister for Agriculture, who pledged that payment would commence from July 17th, 2023.

In addition to the suspension of the picketing, some revelations have come to light that will inform Parliament’s approach as they await the summoned Ministers.

The food suppliers, belonging to the Ghana Food Suppliers Association, claim to have been supplying food to secondary schools since the implementation of the free Senior High School (fSHS) policy in 2017.

They assert that the government has not paid them for the cost of supplying food for the years 2021 and 2022, resulting in the accumulated debt of GHC270 million.

According to the food suppliers, all their efforts to obtain payment through NAFCO, including petitions to the Presidency and meetings with the Minister for Education, have been unsuccessful.

Despite assurances from the Minister for Education that 90% of the owed amount had been released to NAFCO for payment, the suppliers never received their dues.

One major point of contention for the Food Suppliers Association is the formation of two new groups of food suppliers, one by the Ministry of Education and the other by the FBSC, who have received contracts and timely payments.

This raises questions about why new groups were established and remunerated while the original group claims to be owed outstanding debts.

Parliamentary records reveal that since 2017, Parliament has consistently approved government requests to fund the fSHS policy. The allocated amounts include GH¢1.9 billion in 2021, GH¢2.3 billion in 2022, and GH¢3.0 billion in 2023.

However, it has been discovered that out of the GH¢7.62 billion allocated for the program between 2017 and 2021, only GH¢5.3 billion was utilized, leaving a surplus of GH¢2.5 billion.

The Minister for Education further revealed that out of the GH¢7.62 billion, only GH¢5.1 billion was utilized during the same period, resulting in GH¢2.3 billion remaining unused.

These inconsistencies highlight the need for a thorough audit of the fSHS program to ascertain the actual utilization of funds and address the challenges faced during implementation.

Furthermore, suppliers of school uniforms and sports apparels have privately indicated that the government owes them as well. In addition, certain absorbed fees for maintenance, library services, ICT, and ID cards have not been released to schools, creating financial management constraints for secondary school heads.

Given the issues surrounding the implementation of the fSHS policy and the substantial resources allocated to the program, there is a growing call for an audit to shed light on the challenges faced.

Members of Parliament are poised to demand answers from the summoned Ministers regarding all matters related to the fSHS policy in the best interest of the nation.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh