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Caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme on Monday, December 30, staged a protest at the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, demanding the payment of arrears owed for two academic terms—covering the third term of 2023 and the first term of 2024.
The protestors, who travelled from across the country, claim they have not been paid despite assurances from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department that funds had been released to the Ministry.
President of the School Feeding Caterers Association, Nana Sekyi Amoh, described the situation as unsustainable, revealing the extent of the arrears.
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“It’s a huge amount. I can’t give an exact figure, but it’s very huge,” she said. “We are requesting our two-term pay—third term and first term.”
The caterers, who pre-finance the feeding program, said the government’s failure to reimburse them has left them unable to settle debts owed to suppliers and creditors.
“We owe our creditors, and they are on us. You know how creditors come after you when you owe them for a long time,” Amoh lamented.
The caterers accused the government of making repeated unfulfilled promises.
“We are protesting because our leaders have been lying to us for a long time,” said Amoh. “Since August, they said our money is ready. After the third term in September, they assured us we would be paid in November. November came, and we received nothing. Now December is ending, and there is still no communication.”
The group expressed doubt over a recent government statement claiming payments would be made on December 31.
“We’ve seen the statement, but it doesn’t even have a signature. We don’t trust them anymore because they’ve been lying to us for too long,” Amoh added.
The protestors said the demonstration was necessary to compel the government to address their grievances and provide clarity on the status of the arrears.
“We need accountability. They can’t keep making promises and leaving us in debt,” one caterer remarked.
As of the time of this report, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection had not issued an official response to the protest.
Meanwhile, the caterers have vowed to continue pressing for their payments, demanding immediate action to resolve the financial crisis they face.
