Unpaid SHS suppliers cry for help as sickness, debt and death take heavy toll

The prolonged failure to pay Free Senior High School (SHS) food suppliers is taking a heavy toll on the lives of some suppliers, with the association’s president, Agnes Abedua, revealing that members are battling illness, mounting debts and serious family challenges.

Madam Abedua said suppliers had been waiting for payments dating back to 2024, leaving many dependent on loans and credit to survive.

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, she said the financial pressure had become unbearable for some members.

“We take the items on credit and take bank loans to support the business. We can barely feed. People are sick and need money,” she said.

She disclosed that the crisis had affected families to the extent that some suppliers were struggling to finance medical treatment.

Madam Abedua recounted the death of a colleague’s 21-year-old child, claiming the family could not secure the money needed for medical attention.

She also cited the case of a supplier in Takoradi who had reportedly suffered a stroke.

“Someone in Takoradi even has a stroke. People are sick and need money,” she said.

Beyond health concerns, Madam Abedua said some suppliers were under intense pressure from banks and other creditors after taking loans to finance food purchases.

“I can’t even stay home because the banks are coming after us. We have run losses,” she lamented.

She said suppliers had continued to wait despite assurances that the government was working to release their payments.

“They always tell us they are working on it, but we haven’t even received a penny,” she said.

Madam Abedua therefore appealed to the government to expedite the payment process, saying the outstanding money could provide much-needed relief to suppliers facing financial and personal crises.

She stressed that the issue was no longer simply a business matter, but one that was affecting the livelihoods, health and families of people who had supplied food under the Free SHS programme.

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