The National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) has denied claims that it is responsible for food shortages recently in Senior High Schools across the country, following concerns raised by the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) over feeding challenges.
CHASS had recently warned that schools risk closure due to a shortage of perishable food items needed for meal preparation. The situation prompted widespread public concern, with some media reports attributing the problem to NAFCO’s operations.
However, addressing the issue, NAFCO Chief Executive Officer, George Abradu-Otoo, rejected the claims, insisting that his outfit is not responsible for the supply of perishable food items to schools.
“It was reported somewhere that CHASS… were threatening to shut schools down because of food shortages. I want to take this opportunity to tell the whole of Ghana that the problem is not about Buffer Stock. It’s not about the food that we supply to the schools,” he clarified.
According to him, food supplied to second-cycle institutions is categorised into two—perishables and non-perishables—with distinct procurement responsibilities.
“There are two main types. The food that is supplied to the secondary schools is divided into two categories: you have the perishables and then the non-perishables. Buffer Stock as an organisation is responsible for the non-perishables, while the headmasters are responsible for the perishables,” he explained.
Mr. Abradu-Otoo emphasized that the root cause of the challenge lies in delays in reimbursing schools for the purchase of perishable items.
“The problem that they had was that for about seven months now, they’ve not been reimbursed for all the perishables that they went out into the market to procure on credit, and that was becoming unbearable,” he stated.
He added that the situation forced school heads to consider drastic measures, including the possible closure of schools, to draw attention to their plight.
“That if the government did not rally to their aid, they had to think about drastic measures. And that was all,” he said.
The NAFCO CEO further stressed that his outfit’s mandate is limited strictly to non-perishable food supplies such as grains and cereals.
“Buffer Stock doesn’t supply perishables. We supply only non-perishables—rice, sugar, maize, millet, sorghum, and all that. That’s what Buffer Stock supplies,” he noted.
He also clarified that the ongoing standoff involving CHASS, the Ministry of Education, and the GETFund Secretariat is unrelated to NAFCO.
“So please, I want to use this opportunity to clarify that the current standoff between the Minister of Education, CHASS, on one side, and the Administrator of GETFund is not about Buffer Stock at all,” he stressed.
Mr. Abradu-Otoo maintained that schools have adequate stocks of non-perishable food items supplied by NAFCO, urging the public not to misconstrue the situation.
“The schools have enough. All the headmasters can attest to that fact. You can call any school to find out what the situation is,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced that funds have been released to Senior High and Technical Schools nationwide for the procurement of perishable food items, a move aimed at addressing the feeding challenges and stabilising the situation.
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