Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has stated that caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) who pre-financed food items in anticipation of the new school term will not be compensated for their losses.

Her clarification follows the government’s decision to terminate all existing contracts under the GSFP, which has left many caterers distressed, especially those who claim to have already purchased foodstuffs in readiness for the third term of the 2024/2025 academic year.

Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV on Thursday, May 8, Dr. Lartey sympathised with the caterers but maintained that the government would not reimburse them for food bought without official instruction to begin cooking.

“I sympathise with the situation. There’s no room for compensation, but for the period that they have cooked, they will be paid,” she said.

She added that the affected caterers were already aware of the difficulties facing the programme and should have exercised caution.

“Most of them were not cooking, and they are very much aware they were not cooking. Some too were cooking, but not consistently,” she noted, pointing to inconsistencies in service delivery during the just-ended school term.

A formal statement from GSFP National Coordinator Hajia Fati Forgor, issued on May 2, announced the termination of all contracts, directing that “no existing caterer on the programme should cook for the third term of the 2024/2025 academic year.”

The ministry has promised to settle all arrears for the second term and indicated that new recruitment guidelines will be introduced as part of a broader restructuring effort.

Meanwhile, President of the Concerned School Feeding Caterers Association, Gifty Asamoah, has voiced her disappointment over the abrupt cancellation, stating that members had already acquired large quantities of food.

“You have seen the foodstuffs we have purchased — fish, groundnuts, and others have been bought from Ejura. The foodstuffs were to be shared among us, but we had to stop the truck after receiving the new information. We have lost a lot of money,” she said.

While some caterers had earlier considered withdrawing their services due to the transition in government, they reversed the decision after receiving communication to continue operations for the rest of the academic year.

Dr. Lartey has urged calm and encouraged interested caterers to reapply when the new guidelines are made public. Adding that the termination is part of a broader restructuring exercise.

“The GSFP Secretariat, as part of its ongoing restructuring exercise, will soon announce the modalities for the recruitment of new caterers for the programme,” the statement added.