The National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Hajia Fati Forgor, has stated that the programme is running smoothly across the country, attributing the improvement to reforms introduced by the current government after inheriting operational challenges.
She said the programme was witnessing significant improvements in service delivery, food quality, and monitoring, unlike the situation that prevailed when the government assumed office.
Hajia Forgor made the remarks during a courtesy call on the Talensi District Chief Executive, John Milim Nabwomya, after conducting unannounced inspections of selected beneficiary schools in the Upper East Region as part of her nationwide monitoring exercise.
The National Coordinator visited Gorogo Primary School in the Talensi District, where she inspected meals being prepared for pupils and assessed the conditions under which caterers operated.
She expressed delight after discovering that a native of the community, Thomas Tindan had voluntarily constructed a modern kitchen for the school to replace the old cooking facility. She commended the philanthropist for the gesture, describing it as a worthy example of community participation in supporting education.
According to her, the School Feeding Programme is not only concerned with providing meals to pupils but also ensuring that food is prepared in hygienic and safe environments.
She therefore urged Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), philanthropists, and community members to emulate the gesture by helping schools without kitchens to construct suitable cooking facilities.
Hajia Forgor also directed the caterer at the school to immediately begin using the new kitchen to preserve the facility and improve food safety. She was equally impressed with the meal served to the pupils, which included Bambara beans, describing it as nutritious and locally sourced.
“Our interest is to ensure that children receive nutritious meals. Let us eat what we grow. Bambara beans are readily available in this part of the country, and it is encouraging to see caterers making good use of locally produced food items,” she said.
The National Coordinator further praised the caterer for observing proper hygiene practices, including wearing protective clothing while preparing the meals. She explained that the unannounced monitoring visits were intended to assess the actual performance of caterers rather than inspections conducted after prior notification.
“I don’t want caterers to hear that the National Coordinator is coming before they rush to prepare food. I want to see exactly what happens on a normal school day because our priority is to ensure that children are fed with hot, nutritious meals every school day,” she stressed.
Hajia Forgor acknowledged that although some challenges remained, the programme had made considerable progress since the current administration took office.
She noted that government currently spends about Gh¢9 million daily and approximately Gh¢1.9 billion annually to sustain the School Feeding Programme, making effective monitoring essential to ensure value for money.
She also disclosed that government was aware that many schools were yet to benefit from the programme, but explained that expansion depended largely on the availability of financial resources.
The Talensi District Chief Executive, John Milim Nabwomya, commended the National Coordinator for the monitoring exercise and appealed for additional schools in the district to be enrolled in the programme.
He said several communities had consistently appealed to the district assembly for inclusion in the programme, adding that many pupils were still missing out on the intervention.
“We do not always have an ideal situation, but we are doing our best to ensure that nobody is short-changed. I therefore appeal to the National Coordinator to consider adding more schools in Talensi when she returns to Accra,” he said.
The visit formed part of the National Coordinator’s nationwide inspection tour aimed at strengthening accountability, improving food quality, and ensuring the effective implementation of the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
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