Former Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Adwoa Safo, has alleged widespread corruption and mismanagement within Ghana’s school feeding programme, which provides meals to students in public schools.
Speaking on Wontumi TV on Wednesday, March 19, the former Dome/Kwabenya Member of Parliament urged the government of President John Dramani Mahama to prioritise reforms in the sector, warning that unchecked corruption is draining resources and undermining the programme’s effectiveness.
Recounting her tenure, Adwoa Safo revealed that former President Nana Akufo-Addo had instructed her to audit the school feeding programme before releasing funds for her ministry.
However, she claimed that after submitting the audit report to the Cabinet, the President distanced himself from the directive due to pressure from individuals within the government.
“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 said.
She further detailed challenges she faced in her attempt to investigate financial mismanagement in the programme.
“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? 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.
Adwoa Safo claimed that the majority of the financial irregularities were traced to the Central Region. She also accused members of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration of trying to cover up the corruption, adding that her audit report was dismissed by the President.
“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.
Her revelations have reignited calls for transparency and accountability in the administration of the school feeding programme, which has faced persistent scrutiny over financial mismanagement and operational inefficiencies.
