Former Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba, has urged the government to prioritise the issue of caterers following the recent controversy surrounding the school feeding programme.
She suggested that the government should be as diligent in paying the debts of caterers as it is in paying civil servants at the end of the month.
According to Madam Djaba, the government has various avenues for securing funds, including the World Bank and World Food Organization, and should utilize them to settle the arrears owed to caterers.
“The government should try as much as possible to settle their arrears. How are they able to pay teachers, doctors, nurses, civil servants when the month ends?
“They should use that same energy to settle the debts. We have World Bank, world food organization etc, all these organizations are there and so they can fall on them. Let’s get serious and prioritise the school feeding program,” she said in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen Friday.
She emphasized that timely payment is essential for the success of the programme and called on the President to direct the Finance Minister to release funds for the caterers to be paid their agreed wages on every term and on time.
Madam Djaba believes that implementing her recommendations will resolve all the issues surrounding the School Feeding Programme.
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