Former Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Adwoa Safo, has blown the whistle on widespread corruption and mismanagement within Ghana’s school feeding programme.
In an interview on Wontumi TV on Wednesday, Adwoa Safo alleged that the programme, which provides meals to students in public schools, has been plagued by corruption and financial mismanagement.
“The rot and the corruption that is going on at the school feeding sector is serious. This government should pay attention to that sector. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor had a great vision around the school feeding programme, but the way it has been twisted is a serious matter,” she warned.
According to Adwoa Safo, former President Nana Akufo-Addo had instructed her to audit the programme before releasing funds for her ministry. However, after submitting the audit report to the Cabinet, the President allegedly distanced himself from the directive due to pressure from individuals within the government.
“I regret the accidental killing of a… no, I mean, I regret that when I was appointed as the Gender Minister, President Akufo-Addo asked me to conduct an audit of the school feeding programme before I would be granted revenue to operate. What was all the money allocated to the programme being used for?” she explained.
Adwoa Safo claimed that she faced challenges in investigating financial mismanagement, including a key official who refused to respond to her queries. “I would call this woman—a key official in the programme—once, twice, even three times, and she wouldn’t respond. Instead, she would send a message saying she wasn’t happy with how I was handling her because she had connections in the government and at higher authorities,” she alleged.
The former Minister also claimed that the majority of the financial irregularities were traced to the Central Region. “The majority of the rot was coming from the Central Region. The backlash that followed my submission of the audit report made President Akufo-Addo deny that he had asked me to conduct it. He told me to set it aside, and that’s where my problems began,” she stated.
The former Minister’s allegations have reignited calls for transparency and accountability in the administration of the school feeding programme.
The programme has faced persistent scrutiny over financial mismanagement and operational inefficiencies. The government of President John Dramani Mahama has been urged to take immediate action to address the corruption and mismanagement.
Adwoa Safo’s revelations are expected to spark a national conversation on corruption and accountability in public office.