Government has released GH¢150 million to the Ministry of Education to settle the outstanding arrears owed the National Food Suppliers Association.

Spokesperson for the National Food Suppliers Association, Kwaku Amedome confirmed this on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem on Thursday.

This move comes weeks after the Association threatened to picket at the Finance Ministry if their demands were not met.

Touching on the development, Mr. Amedome expressed gratitude to the government for responding promptly to their plea.

He emphasized the importance of this disbursement in alleviating the financial strain faced by the association’s members.

“We are grateful to the government for releasing the funds to settle our arrears. It will remove a lot of burden from us. This will not only enable us to repay our debts but also enhance our economic activities and support the successful implementation of free SHS,” Mr. Amedome said.

He recommended a stakeholder meeting to ensure equitable distribution of the funds among all food suppliers.

“They should share the money equally and not give it to a selected few. A stakeholder meeting should be held on how to share the money fairly” he added.

Background

In March, the National Food Suppliers Association gave the Ministry of Education a two-week ultimatum to settle the debt of two hundred million cedis owed them.

The suppliers said they will picket if the Ministry fails to adhere to their demand.

The spokesperson for the National Food Suppliers Association, Kwame Amedume said out of the 180 million cedis agreed to be paid to the suppliers, only 10 million cedis has been released by the Ministry to the National Food Buffer Stock Company.

He said if they are not paid, there will be food shortages in the various Senior High Schools.