I’ll address school feeding challenges and ensure quality — Gender Minister-Designate

Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Member of Parliament for Krowor and minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, has pledged to reform the school feeding programme.

Citing the 2024 NDC manifesto, the minister-designate promised to address the bottlenecks in the programme and the capitation grant, as outlined on page 118 of the manifesto.

Speaking during her vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, January 22, Naa Momo Lartey vowed to use dialogue to resolve arrears owed to caterers by the government.

“I think one of my strengths is dialogue. So I will engage with all stakeholders involved to find a lasting solution,” she stated.

“But once some payments have been made, I believe His Excellency John Mahama is committed to ensuring that not only does the implementation of the school feeding programme run smoothly, but also that the quality is assured. My role will be to work within that framework to ensure the remaining payments are addressed with the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Education,” she added.

Children in Ghanaian public primary schools receive free lunches under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).

The program seeks to increase school enrolment, enhance food security, and lessen hunger and malnutrition.

However, there have been ongoing issues with the program, such as frequent strikes and protests by suppliers and caterers over unpaid arrears.