Finance Minister Engages World Food Programme to Adjust School Feeding Programme Funding
Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson has engaged the World Food Programme (WFP) for assistance to further upwardly adjust the feeding rate for the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
The fee was increased to Ghc2 from Ghc1.50p per child in the 2025 Ghana Budget Statement, however, the Minister finds it still inadequate.
Exploring avenues to increase the funding, the Minister on April 3, 2025, engaged the new Country Representative of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Ms. Aurore Rusiga over the programme aimed at increasing school enrolment, attendance and retention and reducing short-term hunger and malnutrition amongst kindergarten and primary school children.
“The current rate of just over 1 cedi per child per day is inadequate. That is why I have increased it to 2 cedis and continue to seek partnerships to raise it further. To make this a reality, I urged the WFP to channel more support into Ghana’s school feeding efforts. This year, the government has allocated 1.78 billion cedis to the programme, but we recognize that more investment is needed to enhance its impact,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that school feeding caterers are paid on time.
“Ensuring timely payments to caterers remains a top priority, and I am committed to making this happen. By working together, we can secure a brighter future for Ghana’s children and strengthen the foundation of our education system.”
In response, the WFP offered to collaborate with the World Bank and the Government of Ghana to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the School Feeding Programme to ensure its efficiency and sustainability.
Ms. Rusiga also expressed WFP’s commitment to supporting the programme beyond emergency interventions, including through the introduction of fortified rice to improve meal nutrition.
The School Feeding programme was introduced in 2005 in all public primary schools and kindergartens.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
