The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) has once again taken centre stage in national debate, following the government’s decision to terminate contracts with existing caterers as part of a sweeping restructuring exercise.
The move, taking place under the new administration, has sparked questions about fairness, timing, and the welfare of schoolchildren. However, a former presidential staffer, Ibrahim Adjei, has defended the decision, arguing that it is both legitimate and overdue.
“They are not employees of the Ghana School Feeding Programme. They are contractors. So sometimes let’s not be too eager to attack a policy”
Ibrahim Adjei, Former Presidential Staffer
Responding to questions on the termination of caterers who had already procured supplies and taken loans, Adjei rejected the view that the move was hasty or inconsiderate. He explained that affected parties had been given adequate time and notice and that the restructuring exercise is a standard governance practice under a new administration.
He stressed that while debate around national policy is necessary, this particular decision falls within the bounds of lawful administrative change, and caterers had no grounds to claim unfair treatment.
“They didn’t do it randomly. There’s been advance notice. Your boss can sack you with three months’ notice and in lieu of notice, pay you a salary”
Ibrahim Adjei, Former Presidential Staffer
“If the new restructuring does not yield the benefits that we would expect, there and then you can interrogate the wisdom of the decision,” He added that the efficacy of the new system should be judged based on its outcomes, not on assumptions.
Assessment and Resistance
Adjei argued that only those directly benefiting from the programme, students, can truly judge its success or failure, not administrators or political commentators.
He emphasized that indicators such as school attendance and student alertness should guide national assessment of the programme, not political emotions or institutional resistance.
Touching on the programme’s evolution under previous administrations, Adjei disclosed that some school managers became hostile to the feeding initiative after it was decoupled from their financial control, especially under Free SHS policies introduced by the NPP.
“Schools or the management whose wealth came through the program… became peeved,” he stated.
He revealed that some school heads began circumventing the system by stockpiling food supplies or running unofficial food arrangements; actions he said reflected how lucrative the programme had become at the school level. “Some school’s management personnel were like warehouses.”
Procurement and Quality Concerns
Adjei also welcomed the restructuring, stating that procurement under the old system had opened loopholes for exploitation. He noted that a procurement system based on unit costs without strict supervision often incentivized caterers to shortchange the children in the name of profits.
“If the government says ‘we’re gonna give you 10 cedis per child’… instead of spending the 10 cedis as the government has determined, you rather start doing gari, where the government has budgeted for rice”
Ibrahim Adjei, Former Presidential Staffer
He acknowledged that while the budget included profit margins for caterers, some exploited the system further by cutting corners, thereby compromising the nutritional value of the meals.
Citing the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, Adjei highlighted that not all participants in the programme had the welfare of children at heart.
He reaffirmed the fundamental link between nutrition and educational performance, arguing that the government’s role in ensuring children are well fed goes beyond mere service delivery – it is a national duty.
“Look, when a child is well fed nutritionally, their mental capabilities become higher because they’re receiving the nutrients that are needed for all those motor and neural functions. Secondly, school attendance is higher”
Ibrahim Adjei, Former Presidential Staffer
He recalled how for some children, especially under the NPP’s Free SHS, school meals became their primary source of nutrition. Adjei concluded by insisting that restructuring the programme to ensure fairness, quality, and accountability is essential for Ghana’s development, irrespective of which government is doing it.
“What is more important than making sure that our children, whether born of your blood or not, are well fed, the community is well fed, well motivated, and educated”
Ibrahim Adjei, Former Presidential Staffer
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