Confusion rocks school feeding program as two caterers clash

There is confusion over the school feeding program in the Akuapem North Municipality as two groups of caterers have resumed cooking separately for the same schools.

The misunderstanding over who has the legitimacy to cook for the schools in the municipality arose when the Member of Parliament for Akuapem North and Municipal Chief Executive for the area, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah and Barima Awuah Asiedu-Larbi Sarpong respectively, sidestepped the old caterers and appointed new ones.

The decision was fueled on the basis that the affected caterers numbering about 20 all members of the ruling party did not support the MP during the initial process of the Party’s primaries before she eventually went unopposed.

The two groups of caterers have since been cooking separately to the same assigned schools since the President announced the reopening of schools after almost a year of closure as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

The old caterers initially suspended their service to petition the School Feeding Secretariat but the secretariat noted that it has not contracted any new caterers which gave them the impetus to immediately resume their cookery services to the schools.

A petition written and signed by the affected caterers led by Bernice Opare to the National Director of school feeding secretariat stated that, “we the listed caterers in Akuapem North Municipal wish to write and bring our petition to your notice. We were given the contract to feed pupils in various schools in our municipality. We mobilized ourselves and stocked up foodstuffs and ingredients to render our service on hearing President’s speech about the reopening of Schools as part of our support to the secretariat".

“As it stands now, we have not received any notice of non-performance or ineffectiveness let alone no termination letters. Our foodstuffs and ingredients stocked up in various storerooms are getting rotten and we are losing money on daily basis. We are appealing to your humble office to intervene so we can return and render our service to our allotted schools and also save money”

The Ghana School feeding Program subsequently on January 23, 2021, issued a statement to caution metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, party executives, and GSFP Regional Coordinators unilaterally reallocating beneficiary schools to new caterers were doing so at the peril of their own financial loss since GSFP does not recognize them.

However, the fears of the old Caterers of the school feeding Program in Akuapem North is that the MP has allegedly vowed to ensure that, monies meant for them are diverted to the accounts of the new caterers she has assigned.

The beneficiary pupils are however happy for receiving double meals daily.

According to some constituencies and polling station executives of the party, the confusion surrounding the school feeding program in Akuapem North dovetails into divisions created by the MP and the MCE. They called on the National Executives of the NPP to intervene before the party collapses in the constituency.

When the MCE for Akuapem North Asiedu Larbi Sarpong was contacted he declined to comment. The MP however did not respond nor reply text message sent to her for reaction to the claims.