Speaker Alban Bagbin has assured that Parliament will ensure the demand by school feeding caterers to increase school feeding grant is met by the government.
The caterers are requesting that government increases the current grant of ¢0.97 to ¢3 per school child to enable them prepare meals for school children amidst current economic challenges.
During a surprise visit to the School Feeding Programme Secretariat on June 23, the Speaker stated that their demands are of sound mind therefore Parliament’s decision to support them.
“We see that there is a challenge and the challenge is financing. The caterers, as you say, do the pre-financing because of the global economic situation, which has affected Ghana.
“There is the need for an upward adjustment of the amount you give to them. Definitely, ¢0.97 is on the low side, and their demand is justified,” he stated, according to media reports.
Prior to his visit to the School Feeding Programme Secretariat, Speaker Alban Bagbin paid a courtesy visit to the National Buffer Stock Company to ascertain its successes and challenges.
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In a Facebook post, the Communication team of Parliament stated that the Speaker personally visited the institutions to “familiarise himself with the challenges of these institutions to appreciate their concerns when they are brought before the House” despite there being specific Parliamentary Committees assigned to perform their oversight responsibilities over these state institutions.
The Chief Executive Officer of National Buffer Stock Company, Mr. Hanan Abdul-Wahab, who welcomed the Speaker noted that the company has seen significant growth since his inception.
Credit: Parliament of Ghana
According to him, the National Buffer Stock Company has increased its number of offices and is currently operating in all 16 regions of the country.
He stated that the company used to operate in just three regions of the country.
Nonetheless, Mr. Hanan Abdul-Wahab mentioned the lack of big ware houses and inadequate allocation of funds as some major challenges of the company.
In response, the Speaker assured that he will lead the House to make sure that enough funds are allocated to solve the above mentioned challenge.
