School Feeding Programme Caterers Receive Overdue Payments

Jan 2, 2025 - 12:54

Accra, Ghana - 2 Jan, 2025 - Caterers working under Ghana's School Feeding Programme have started receiving their outstanding third-term salaries, marking a significant development in a long-standing dispute.

The payments, which were made on December 31, come after the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman, assured the caterers that their salaries would be settled.

While some caterers have successfully accessed their funds, others are still waiting due to bank holidays and limited access to banking services in rural areas. The National President of the School Feeding Caterers Association, Nana Amoh Otu Sekyi, expressed optimism that the remaining caterers would receive their payments soon in an interview with Citi News.

“By the grace of god, they honoured their promise, they paid December 31, around 6:pm. Some of the caterers have been able to access the funds on January 1. Because some of the banks have their e-zwich machines outside.

“But others complained that they were not able to access it. Maybe by tomorrow [January 2], everybody will receive an alert. Not all of them have been able to access the account because today [January 1] is a holiday [bank holiday]. Some of them too are living in rural areas where they don’t have access to banks, until working days like January 2, up to Friday they will call to confirm receipt or otherwise.”

“December 31, the chief accountant called me concerning that issue. I will be at the office on January 2, for us to talk about it. We are hoping that next week they will tell us something positive about the 2019 issue [arrears],'' she added.

In a separate development, the association is also seeking to resolve outstanding salary arrears dating back to 2019. The National President revealed that discussions with the government are ongoing, with a positive outcome expected next week.

The Ghana School Feeding Programme aims to provide meals to students in public schools, improving attendance and academic performance. The programme relies on caterers to prepare and serve meals.

Source: Lead News Online