The Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), George Abradu-Otoo, has undertaken a two-day working visit to the Upper East Region to assess food supply systems in Senior High Schools and inspect storage facilities across the region.
The visit took him to Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School (BOGISS) and Bolgatanga Technical Institute, where he engaged school authorities on the effectiveness of the buffer stock programme.
At BOGISS, the Headmistress, Gifty Ayamba, commended NAFCO for its consistent delivery of food items, describing the intervention as timely and impactful.
“I must say that we are honoured to be part of the selected schools, and we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to you for the support that you have given us so far. We have been getting our food, and as it stands now, I can say that we are comfortable as far as the grains and other products are concerned,” she stated.
She added, “So far, we haven’t encountered any challenges as far as the buffer food distribution is concerned… If we are going to rate, at least, I will score Buffer Stock 8 over 10. It’s a human institution, so definitely there will be some gaps, but so far it has been good.”
The CEO also interacted with the Upper East Regional Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Richard Akumbase, who suggested that integrating local suppliers into the system could improve efficiency and boost local economies.
“When community members come to us and say they have produce but don’t know where to sell, we are unable to procure. If Buffer Stock can buy from them, it will help the local economy because the money will circulate within the community,” he noted.
Mr. Abradu-Otoo also inspected NAFCO warehouses at Pusu-Namongo and Zuarungu to assess their condition and readiness for storage under the national food reserve programme.
Earlier, he paid a courtesy call on the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council and later visited the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive. He expressed satisfaction with feedback from the schools.
“All the schools that we went to were full of praise for us. For the first time in so many years, headmasters and headmistresses can go to sleep without worrying about where the next meal is going to come from for the students,” he stated.
Mr. Abradu-Otoo also clarified that recent concerns about food shortages in schools were not linked to NAFCO.
“This is not about Buffer Stock. Buffer Stock doesn’t supply perishables. We supply only non-perishables like rice, sugar, maize, millet, and sorghum,” he explained, adding that delays in reimbursement for perishables were the real concern for school authorities.
Among the entourage are Emmanuel J.K Arthur, Head of Corporate Affairs; Arnold Kojo Akah, Head of Operations; Aziz Peregrino-Brimah, National Coordinator, National Food Reserve Programme; and Albert Adongo, Upper East Regional Manager of NAFCO.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Bolgatanga
