The Ghana School Feeding Caterers' Association has appealed to the government for an extension of their contracts, following the announcement made on May 2, 2025, regarding the termination of their contract.The Association is urging the government to temporarily suspend the implementation of this termination and allow them to continue providing meals until the end of the third term of the academic year.This request was included in a petition signed by National President, Nana Amo Sakyi-Otu; National Public Relations Officer, Adizatu A.
Ankrah; National Secretary, Rachel O.
Yeboah, and Financial Secretary, Stephanie Arhin.The petition has been presented to various entities, including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme, the Ministry of Finance, the Comptroller and Accountant-General, as well as the IMF and World Bank Ghana Country Offices.According to the petition sighted by The Ghanaian Times, the caterers asserted that they were ready, equipped, and adequately prepared to continue their services, with food items already purchased and necessary personnel in place."With deep respect and utmost humility, we, the National Executives of the Ghana School Feeding Caterers' Association, write on behalf of our over 12,000 dedicated caterers and more than 45,000 cooks under our leadership to passionately appeal against the recent decision to terminate our contracts with immediate effect.We acknowledge the Government's authority to restructure and reform national programmes.
However, the manner and timing of this termination is not only profoundly unfair but also appears to disregard the sacrifices and efforts of thousands of women and men who have diligently served to ensure that Ghanaian school children are fed daily," the petition states.The petition highlights that the sudden termination had placed them at "significant risk of financial ruin and emotional distress," threatening to destroy livelihoods, destabilise homes, and plunge many into avoidable poverty and debt.It said the termination jeopardised the well-being of the very children the Ghana School Feeding Programme was designed to support."It is our understanding that new caterers have not yet been fully procured, trained, or medically screened, meaning children are likely to return to school without meals-an outcome that contradicts the essence of the School Feeding Programme.We, therefore, humbly plead with Your Excellency to intervene and direct the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, as well as the Ghana School Feeding Secretariat, to temporarily suspend the implementation of this termination and allow current caterers to continue serving meals until the end of the third term of this academic year," the petitioners concluded.The GSFP announced the immediate termination of contracts for all caterers under the programme across the country on May 2, 2025.In an official statement, the GSFP instructed that no current caterer should provide meals for the third term of the 2024/2025 academic year. BY BERNARD BENGHAN
