The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Lariba Zuweira Abudu, has announced that the caterers working under the School Feeding Programme will receive arrears for the third term of the 2022 academic year next week.
She made the remarks at the Ministers’ Press Briefing in Accra yesterday.
She noted that the arrears for the first and second terms have been settled adding that the payment process for the third term was delayed as a result of thorough validation and auditing processes.
“I want to ensure that the auditing and due diligence is done. It takes time because the numbers are voluminous so you need time for the auditors to go through and make sure that every caterer who has cooked has been captured and will be paid. They have to bear with us when their monies are not coming in good time. Certainly, we will pay them and next week we are paying,” she said.
Hon. Abudu revealed that the files of about 11,052 caterers have been cleared for payment while 76 are still pending as a result of challenges with their E-Zwich card. She added that caterers who did not cook in the third term as a result of various reasons will not be paid.
According to the Minister, beneficiaries of the programme have increased to 3,801,491 as at 2023. She further indicated that government has proposed GHC 1.20 pesewas from the current GHC 1.00 as the cost per meal per day for each beneficiary.
The Gender Minister explained that the Ministry was running an electronic monitoring system which would provide real-time data to enhance the delivery of the programme.
“A software has been developed to manage the School Feeding Programme data, and the ministry will continue to implement planned activities and monitor compliance to standards so that no one is left behind”, she said.
Touching on the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme (LEAP), the Minister indicated that the programme currently has over 1.5million beneficiaries. She added that it had cleared the 2022 arrears and payment for the 1st cycle of 2023 is expected to commence next week.
Hon. Zuweira Abudu said that persons accused of witchcraft in the five camps of the Northern and North East Regions of Ghana have been included to benefit from LEAP cash grants.
Also, persons affected by leprosy in the Weija Leprosarium and other five camps; Upper East Region, Upper West Region, Eastern Region, Volta Region and the Central Region respectively have been captured in the LEAP Programme.
Source: MOI (PR Unit)
