Aburi (E/R), May 6, GNA – The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) says arrears owed caterers for the second term of the 2025/2026 academic year will be paid soon after ongoing validation processes are completed.
Hajia Fati Forgor, National Coordinator of the GSFP, said payments were delayed due to administrative procedures involving data verification and auditing.
“We are working on the data, so very soon we will be doing that (paying the caterers). We are almost done with it,” she said.
Hajia Forgor gave the assurance in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the opening of a three-day training of trainers under the GSFP School Connect initiative at Aburi in the Eastern Region.
She explained that data from schools were being compiled, verified and audited at various levels before disbursement.
The training aims to equip trainers to cascade knowledge to regional, district and school-level actors to improve implementation of the Programme.
It also forms part of efforts to pilot and roll out a digital monitoring and evaluation system, “School Connect,” designed to enhance data collection, reporting, transparency and efficiency.
The initiative is supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) with funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Hajia Forgor said the GSFP had previously relied on a manual reporting system, which contributed to delays in processing payments.
She said the new digital system would help reduce such delays and improve timeliness.
“From the school level, daily report sheets have to be filled, compiled at the district, sent to the region, and then to the national level for verification before payments are made. It takes a longer period,” she said.
Hajia Forgor said that the new platform would “bridge that timeline so that we will be able to get results on time.”
The GSFP first introduced a digitalisation initiative in 2019 with WFP support, but faced challenges including gaps in real-time monitoring and nutrition tracking.
Hajia Forgor said the new system would enhance monitoring and accountability by enabling real-time data collection and oversight.
“This is a management tool that will allow us to monitor meals served to the children and ensure caterers adhere strictly to approved menus,” she said. “If today is rice, let it be rice; if tomorrow is rice and beans, let it be that.”
Hajia Forgor said national-level officers would continue field monitoring to verify data submitted electronically from districts.
She stressed government’s commitment to strengthening the programme through improved systems and supervision.
“The Programme is not just a policy; it is the lifeline of many Ghanaian children, and it is dear to the government,” she said.
Madam Aurore Rusiga, WFP Country Director, said school feeding remained a key investment in human capital, improving nutrition, learning outcomes and food security.
She said the School Connect platform, already used in over 20 countries, enables real-time tracking of enrolment, attendance, meals served and food supplies.
Madam Rusiga said that the pilot covering more than 350 schools would support the development of a nationally owned digital system.
Mr Donghyun Lee, Country Director of KOICA, reaffirmed support for Ghana’s school feeding programme through digital innovation to enhance transparency and efficiency.
Madam Constance Baah, Head of the Social Protection Unit at the Ministry of Finance, said the initiative would strengthen public financial management by improving data quality for budgeting, payments and accountability.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Benjamin A. Commey
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