The Ghana School Feeding Programme has assured caterers that outstanding payments for the second term of the 2025/2026 academic year will be released soon once an ongoing nationwide validation exercise is completed.
National Coordinator of the programme, Fati Forgor, said the delay was caused by administrative processes involving data verification, compilation and auditing before funds could be disbursed.
“We are working on the data, so very soon we will be doing that. We are almost done with it,” she said in an interview on the sidelines of a three-day training workshop in Aburi.
According to her, the programme’s manual reporting system has been one of the major causes of payment delays, as reports move from schools to district offices, regional offices and finally the national secretariat before approvals are granted.
To address the challenge, the Ghana School Feeding Programme is piloting a new digital monitoring platform known as School Connect, aimed at speeding up reporting and ensuring quicker payments to caterers.
The initiative, supported by the World Food Programme with funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency, will also improve transparency by enabling real-time tracking of meals served, school attendance and food deliveries in more than 350 schools.
Ms Forgor said the platform would also help ensure caterers strictly follow approved menus while strengthening accountability within the programme.
Aurore Rusiga described school feeding as a critical investment in children’s nutrition, education and food security, while Constance Baah said improved data systems would enhance budgeting and public financial management.
Donghyun Lee also reaffirmed support for Ghana’s efforts to modernise the programme through digital innovation.
