The suppliers began days of picketing at the Buffer Stock premises in July after months of appealing to the government for their arrears to be paid to help them continue to be in business.

They later expressed disappointment after only a partial payment of the arrears was made to them.

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, had given assurances that the suppliers would be paid on July 17.

However, the suppliers were later told that the Buffer Stock Company had instead received payment from the Ministry of Finance on that date. When the money finally reached their accounts, it was only a partial payment.

The suppliers were further assured that the remaining payment would be made on August 17.

This prompted the suppliers to besiege the NAFCo premises.

The suppliers say that they are struggling due to current economic challenges and that the outstanding payments are essential for them to stay in business.

They are calling on the government to fulfil its promise and make the full payment as soon as possible.

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This follows a two-week ultimatum issued to the government by the National Association of Institutional Suppliers to pay monies owed them since last year.

The group is in charge of the production and supply of school uniforms to students in public schools.

Speaking to Citi News, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, said it would be prudent for the government to review the FSHS policy immediately.

“Though we are still in the COVID crisis, the issue of school uniforms and food supply is simply a matter of the government’s inability to finance the FSHS programme effectively and fully. I am saying this because, in the past six years, the government has barely released 65% of the allocated funds for the FSHS programme by the end of the year. So, if you have a programme where disbursement is averaging 60% every year for the past six years, you are obviously going to run into such levels of debts.”

Asare also called on the government to pay the monies owed the National Association of Institutional Suppliers and cancel the uniform contract.

“Parents have the responsibility of buying school uniforms for their children. Parents were buying school uniforms for their children when they were in junior high school. It beats my mind that immediately they enter senior high school, one parent becomes so poor that they cannot clothe their own children.

“It doesn’t make any economic sense. So, the government should cancel all those contracts, pay off the debts, and freeze that needless expenditure. They should focus the resources we have on critical teaching and learning materials that reasonably poor parents cannot afford.”

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Mr Acheampong on July 7 assured the suppliers were going to be paid their monies by Monday, July 17, 2023.

This was after the suppliers spent three nights at the premises of the Buffer Stock Company, insisting that they will not leave until the government pays them their monies in full.

The suppliers, who travelled from all regions across the country, said that since 2021, government has not paid them for food that they supplied to Senior High Schools across the country.

Briefing Parliament on Tuesday, he said Buffer stock currently owes the suppliers a little over GH¢203 million.

Out of this amount, he said the Ministry last week received GHS100 million which is 50 percent of what is due the suppliers.

“We have transferred same through the processes to buffer stock. We are hoping that by midweek this week that  50 percent will be sent to the suppliers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Majority Whip, Habib Iddrisu, urged the suppliers not to allow themselves to be used by politicians over the debt.

The Tolon MP emphasised the significance of the suppliers and urged them not to allow their sentiments to be manipulated for political gain.

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According to them, they would bring along their families and debtors to the premises this time around.

“If after Thursday we don’t receive our money, I want to bring to notice here that we will resume our picketing and when we get there, we will not listen to any advice from any Honourable member. We’ll come back with our families, our dependents and our creditors. It is going to be more massive than what we saw earlier,” a representative of the group noted.

He added that “the whole of Thursday, we will bring in our bags, bring everything to buffer stock, failure to pay our money, we will sleep.”

The group suspended an earlier action after the Education Ministry disclosed that it has made a total payment of GH₵400 million to the Buffer Stock Company as of January 2023.

The Agric Minister, Bryan Acheampong, also promised that all validated claims will be settled by July 17.

But, the group noted that no payment has been received, hence the reminder to the government.

According to them, they would not accept part payment of the outstanding debts and are willing to stay at NAFCO premises until all arrears are cleared.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Monday, the spokesperson of the Food Suppliers Association, Koku Amedume, said payment has been long overdue.

According to him, some members set out to meet the sector Minister over the delays, adding that the Minister provided proof that monies were released later in the afternoon of July 17.

“He showed letters to the effect of disbursement he made today, so later on Wednesday or Thursday, we will be getting some feedback, but we always want to drive home that we are expecting the full payment of the money.”

He nonetheless noted that the picketing will resume if payments are not made by Thursday. Meanwhile, the Agric Ministry has refused to comment on the matter.

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The Minister of Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong on Friday, July 7 assured that payment processes for food suppliers will commence on Monday, July 17.

Prior to this, members of the National Food Suppliers Association had picketed the National Food Buffer Stock Company for four days to demand their money for food items supplied to senior high schools across the country.

Speaking to Citi News, the spokesperson for the Association, Kwaku Amedume, said his members are hoping government honours its end of the bargain. 

“The Minister met us on Friday and gave us some assurances, but it doesn’t mean that we left the place because of those assurances. We left because we believed that we have created much awareness in demanding our money from the government and the Buffer Stock Company has admitted its indebtedness to us and has promised to pay by July 17, and we hope the government is able to pay as it has promised.”

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Mr Amaliba has said the company is no longer working and not fit for purpose.

The legal practitioner made the call as he expressed sympathy with members of the National Food Suppliers Association who are picketing on the Buffer Stock Company’s premises to demand payment of GH¢278 million in arrears owed them.

According to him, it will be prudent for government to revert to the old system where school heads were provided money to purchase food items for their various institutions.

“Buffer stock should be collapsed because it is not working. Suppliers say they have supplied food yet the schools say there is no food. So why don’t we revert to the old system where headteachers and matrons were in charge of finances and making their own purchases?

“I wonder how the president feels when he sits to watch TV and sees people at the mercy of the whether over arrears. It is bad when a government is not performing but it is worse when they deliberately want to inflict pain on citizens,” he said on Accra-based TV3.

Mr Amaliba stated he is disappointed in the way the issue has been handled and called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, pay the suppliers.

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They have fulfilled their threat to bring utensils to cook at the premises where they claim to feel safe than their homes.

The National President, speaking on Adom FM’s Burning Issues, said although they sleep under no roof and are bitten by mosquitoes, no one chases them, unlike their homes where creditors are always on their necks.

On Thursday, some members decided to bring foodstuff while others brought mortar and other kitchen items to facilitate the cooking of their boiled yam and tomato stew.

In a video shared on Twitter by Accra-based Metro TV, the protesters who appeared unbothered went about their cooking comfortably and engaged in hearty conversations.

A middle-aged woman was captured peeling yam while others had also commenced processes to prepare the stew.

Members of the Food Suppliers Association picketing at the Buffer Stock Company have refused to leave and started to cook at the premises #MetroNews pic.twitter.com/fiwGMIiI54

— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) July 6, 2023

It is not clear how many more days the suppliers will stay at the premises as they have spent already three nights at the premises.

Meanwhile, the National Buffer Stock Company has said it acknowledges the indebtedness, adding an emergency board meeting will be held with relevant stakeholders over the development.

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The suppliers since Tuesday, July 4th, 2023, have been picketing at the company’s premises over their GHS270 million, which represents two years’ arrears for the supply of food items.

In the statement after 48 hours after the picketing, the company said it acknowledge that they owe the suppliers.

Buffer Stock has, therefore, pledged commitment to working with all stakeholders, including the Education and Finance Ministries, to find a resolution to the situation.

Meanwhile, members of the association have spent a third night at the premises amidst threats to not vacate until they are handed their monies.

The group has indicated they feel safe at the place than their homes as creditors are always chasing them.

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Below is the full statement:

The Akatsi North lawmaker made the accusation in an interview on Citi FM, where he expressed sympathy with members of the National Food Suppliers Association who are picketing on the Buffer Stock Company’s premises to demand payment of GH¢278 million in arrears owed them.

“In my conversation with the suppliers, they alleged that they have not been paid for the past two years for the food they supplied to the various senior high schools through the Buffer Stock Company and that they are owed about GH¢278 million. Some of them have gone to the bank to take loans with interest, and the interest is getting higher and higher with time. So, they are appealing to Buffer Stock to pay them,” Mr Notsu-Kotoe told Umaru Sanda Amadu.

He added that the aggrieved members told him that the Ministry of Education has paid about 90% of the arrears to the Buffer Stock Company, but the money has not yet been made available to them.

“They are also alleging that the Minister of Education indicated that the Ministry had paid about 90% of what they owe Buffer Stock. So, if the Ministry of Education has paid Buffer Stock, why are the suppliers not getting paid? I tried to get answers from the Minister of Education, but I was told he was in Cape Coast for a programme.”

Mr Notsu-Kotoe said he is disappointed in the way the issue has been handled and called on the government to pay the suppliers what they are owed as soon as possible.

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His call comes after the National Food Suppliers Association picketed at the premises of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) over the non-payment of over two years arrears.

Dr Apaak indicated that schools may close down if the food suppliers are unable to supply food products to them.

Food suppliers from different parts of the country stormed the premises of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in an attempt to drum home their demands, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

The suppliers slept on the floor at NAFCO’s premises as a sign of protest and spent the night there on their cloth and mats which they carried along.

A spokesperson for the suppliers, Kwaku Amedume, has vowed they will continue to picket until their monies are paid as they are being chased away by their creditors from their homes.

According to him, their situation has become a serious national security issue that requires immediate attention.

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