Buffer Stock Company will no longer procure and supply food items to schools – Dr. Clement Apaak

Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak has disclosed that government will decentralise the procurement and supply of food items to secondary schools.

This means that the National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited will cease to procure and supply food items to various public schools.

Dr. Apaak who was part of a government delegation led by Akasti North MP, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe to embark on a tour of food warehouses in Tema noted that the Ministry of Finance will soon announce the release of funds to heads of schools to directly procure food items from suppliers.

According to him, this development has been agreed upon after a meeting between the Finance Ministry, Education Ministry, Ghana Education Service and CHASS.

“After meetings between the Chief of Staff and CHASS as well as the Education Ministry and the Ghana Education Service based on the appeal made and the complains about potential food shortage in some of our schools, government through the Chief of Staff acting on orders of the President is working with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education to get funds released for onward disbursement to the schools to procure the food items needed.

“This will also be in fulfilment of John Dramani Mahama’s promise to decentralize the feeding arrangement contrary to what was the status quo. With the current arrangement, the National Buffer Stock Food Company or its affiliate will not be in charge of procuring and supplying food,” he stated in an interview with TV3 during the tour on January 16, 2025.

“What is going to happen henceforth is that the resources needed to procure the food will go to the heads of the institutions and they will identify their own suppliers and procure the food items directly,” he added.

Dr. Apaak explained that this arrangement will ensure students are fed with wholesome, nutritious food while the middleman role that played by Buffer Stock is eliminated.

Meanwhile, Government is set to begin distribution of stored food items to schools hit with shortage of food items after the evacuation of some food items for a warehouse in Tema.

According to the delegation, all public secondary schools are beneficiaries with over 900 schools set to receive the items. Distribution to Greater Accra schools begins today while distribution to other schools will start on Friday, January 17, 2025.

A total of 139,872 bags of rice to be supplied across the country and expected to be used by schools for a month.

Govt to begin distribution of food items to schools after evacuation of food stock from warehouses  

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