Auditor-General reveals GH¢2.3m in overpayments and irregularities in school feeding programme between 2017-2022
A recent performance audit by the Auditor-General has revealed that approximately GH¢2.3 million has been overpaid to caterers involved in the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).
The audit, conducted from August to October 2022, assessed the management of the GSFP at its National Secretariat in Accra and regional offices in Ashanti, Eastern, Greater Accra, Upper East, and Western regions, covering the period from 2017 to 2022.
The findings also highlighted that the food provided by the caterers was insufficient to sustain pupils throughout the school day. The GSFP, launched in 2005, currently feeds over 4 million pupils in more than 12,000 public basic schools across 216 districts.
Additionally, wrongful payments amounting to GH¢274,235.29 were made to caterers not under contract with the programme. The audit also uncovered that the national secretariat failed to recover an outstanding sum of GH¢831,776.00 from the sale of Caterer Application Forms.
In response, the Auditor-General recommended that the National Coordinator implement measures to identify and recover all outstanding wrongful and overpayments to caterers, as well as the funds from the sale of application forms.
