Accra, Oct. 20, GNA - A total of GH¢59.1 million is being spent this year to feed an estimated one million school children under the Ghana School Feeding programme (GSFP).

Government is contributing GH¢50 Million towards the programme while the Dutch Government is supporting with GH¢9.1 million. This was made known by Mrs Irene Opokai Messiba focal person of the GSFP at the Ministry Of Local Government And Rural Development (MLGRD), which is the supervising agency of the programme. She was addressing a three - day workshop on Social Accountability Project (SAP) organised by the GSFP for about 60 participants selected from civil society organisations (CSO) in the country. SAP is aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in the management of the GSFP from the national to the regional and district levels.

Mrs Messiba said SAP would create a platform for stakeholders including statutory institutions and communities to ensure that the GSFP is implemented according to the documented policies and strategies. The SAP is being implemented by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation under the auspices of the MLGRD. The Embassy of the Royal Kingdom of Netherlands is funding the project at an estimated cost of GH¢560, 000.

Mrs Messiba said the GSFP is making significant contribution to Education in Ghana but had so far achieved bad press because of the inability of the officials to expose the programme for public appreciation.

Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of the MLGRD, who opened the workshop, said, besides improving primary education, the GSFP is also aimed at poverty reduction because all meals are to be prepared from locally grown foodstuffs.

The Minister said the continuous success of the GSFP would much depend on transparency managed in collaboration with stakeholders. Mr Yieleh Chireh therefore called on members of the CSOs in Ghana to support the GSFP with effective monitoring to ensure that the programme is implemented according to the laid down rules and regulations.

Mr Keita Amagoin, Country Director of SNV Ghana said indications are that some countries in Africa admire the GFSP and are considering adopting it.

He therefore called on all the stakeholders to work to ensure that the programme succeeds. 20 Oct. 10