National Food Buffer Stock Company Warns Suppliers, Food Handlers

CEO of NAFCO, Hanan Abdul-Wahab being interviewed

The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana’s National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Hanan Abdul-Wahab has warned of severe sanctions against Licensed Suppliers of food commodities to Senior High Schools under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme when found to have breached terms of their licenses.

He said apart of queries, his outfit could revoke licenses of Suppliers should they be found to have compromised on quality and quantity issues in the supply of food to boarding schools nationwide under the FSHS.

Addressing journalists after a tour of some schools in the Techiman Municipality in the Bono East Region, Mr. Abdul-Wahab said steps have been taken to ensure both suppliers and school Cooks, and Storekeepers do not short-change students by providing them substandard and inadequate food in schools.

He said delays by some Suppliers coupled with other infractions such as the over-supply and under-supply will not be countenanced by NAFCO.

“We have never taken these issues lightly and both my Board and Management have resolved to be harsher going forward”, he intimated.

According to him, while Suppliers take steps to do what he calls the right things, he admonished school authorities to remain steadfast and play the necessary roles expected of them, especially when food is delivered to them.

“ We are all doing these things just to ensure the FSHS programme is not hampered in any way  and our students are not compromised. When the student is hungry or not fed well, there will be several implications for their health, academic performance and even the security situation in a school”, Mr. Abdul-Wahab said.

He commended Heads of Second Cycle institutions for collaborating with government to ensure smooth implementation of the FSHS since 2017 and asked for their continuous support in the years ahead.

The two-day visit took the CEO to some educational institutions in the region where he interacted with school officials and students about food supplies, quality and quantity monitoring.

At the Techiman Senior High School, Mr. Abdul-Wahab and his team were taken round the Kitchen, Stores and Dining Hall where he joined students to take their breakfast.

Headmaster of the school, Gabriel Ofosu-Mensah indicated receiving full supplies of food meant for continuing students in forms 2 and 3.

Mr. Abdul-Wahab suggested periodic fumigation of the school’s Stores to prevent contamination and check expiry dates on food products before receiving them into their Stores.

The school runs the Double Track System and have a current student population of 2,400 and xpecting 1,350 into Form 1 in the 2019/2020 Academic Year.

Mr. Abdul-Wahab also visited Our Lady of Mount Carmel Girls Senior High School where he was told all supplies had been received at the time of the visit.

The has a student population of 530 continuing students and 250 more were expected to join in Form 1.

Mr. Abdul-Wahab was accompanied Corporate Affairs Manager, Emmanuel J.K Arthur; Senior Food Safety Officer, Rita Alele and NAFCO Regional Manager in-charge of Bono East, Ahafo and Bono Regions, Mr. C.Y Ocloo.

African Eye Report

 

 

 

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