The immediate past National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Hajia Safia Mohammed, has called on the government to immediately reverse the termination letters issued to caterers of the programme nationwide.
She is also demanding an immediate instatement of all district officers who were earlier dismissed by the government and a moratorium on political interference in the operations of the School Feeding Programme.
This comes on the back of management of the Ghana School Feeding Programme announcing the termination of contracts of all caterers nationwide with immediate effect. In an official statement dated May 2, 2025, the school feeding secretariat instructed that no current caterer should provide meals for the upcoming third term of the 2024/2025 academic year.
Reacting to this development, Hajia Safia Mohammed in a statement dated Monday (May 5, 2025) said, “This abrupt and politically motivated action smacks of nothing but vindictiveness, discrimination, and an utter disregard for the dignity and welfare of hardworking Ghanaian women who have served diligently and faithfully.”
She argues that these caterers, most of whom are women with dependents, have committed their resources, time, and energy to feed school children across the country, not only as a source of livelihood but also as a service to national development.
“Yet, with no just cause or reasonable notice, they have been dismissed without consideration for the third term of the 2024/2025 academic calendar, a term they were preparing for in good faith. This is not only unacceptable but a clear breach of natural justice and fair administrative process” she lamented.
The former School Feeding Coordinator recounted the erstwhile Akufo-Addo New Patriotic Party (NPP) government allowed caterers perceived to sympathizers of the National Democratic Congress to work for a full academic year before they were dismissed; stating that act of goodwill was a mark of statesmanship.
“I am compelled to remind the public and this government that under the previous administration, when the NDC handed over power to the NPP in 2017, caterers perceived to be sympathetic to the NDC were not summarily dismissed. They were allowed to serve for a full academic year before any decisions were taken regarding the renewal or termination of their contracts. That act of goodwill was a mark of statesmanship, maturity, and a deep understanding of the implications of such decisions on the livelihoods of individuals and the stability of a key national programme” she emphasized.
Madam Safia Mohammed has further threatened to take legal actions against the government if the decision is not reversed.
“I will not hesitate to pursue this matter legally to its logical conclusion, including filing a petition with the, World Bank, World Food Programme (WFP), the Partnership for Child Development, and UNICEF, as well as national organizations like the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Dutch embassy, the International Monitory Fund (IMF), Social Protection and other key partners in the School Feeding Programme, to alert them of the political victimization and targeted maltreatment being meted out to caterers who have served with loyalty, diligence, and competence” she stated.
