Caterers under Ghana’s School Feeding Programme in the Krachi East Municipality of the Oti Region have threatened to suspend cooking services over what they describe as long-standing unpaid arrears owed by the government, warning that continued delays are crippling their operations.
The caterers say they have not been paid for several feeding cycles despite continuing to provide meals for basic school pupils, and they are struggling to restock food items and settle debts owed to suppliers.
According to the group, the situation has become unsustainable, as many of them have exhausted their working capital and are now operating on credit, with some suppliers threatening to cut off supplies entirely.
They argue that repeated assurances from authorities have not translated into actual payments, leaving them frustrated and financially exposed.
The caterers are therefore demanding immediate settlement of all outstanding arrears, cautioning that they may withdraw their services if the government fails to respond urgently.
They insist that the unpaid arrears are affecting not only their livelihoods but also the smooth running of the School Feeding Programme in the municipality, as schools risk being affected if they stop cooking.
Some of the caterers say they have been forced to borrow money at high interest rates to continue operations, describing the situation as unsustainable and unfair given their commitment to feeding school children daily.
They are calling on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, as well as the School Feeding Secretariat, to urgently intervene and ensure payment is made to avoid disruption of the programme.
The School Feeding Programme, which is designed to improve school attendance, nutrition, and retention, has in recent times faced periodic challenges over delayed payments to caterers, leading to similar threats in several parts of the country.
The caterers in Krachi East say they will await urgent government action in the coming days, warning that failure to resolve the issue could force them to halt services entirely.
