The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a directive to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to promptly pay caterers who provided meals for schools in the Volta Region during the 2019/20 academic year and have yet to receive their payments.
This order was made by the PAC Chairman, Hon. James Klutse Avedzi, during a parliamentary session reviewing the Auditor-General’s Report on Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies as of December 31, 2023.
Hon. Dakoa Newman, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, acknowledged the outstanding arrears, describing the situation as abnormal and noting that plans are underway to resolve it. She emphasized that this issue is not confined to the Volta Region but is a nationwide problem.
The Auditor-General’s report also revealed instances of double payments to some caterers in the school feeding programme, leading to overpayments.
It recommended that the Agency’s Accountant recover these overpaid amounts and deposit them into the Auditor-General’s Recovery Account at the Bank of Ghana.
This call for accountability aims to streamline the financial management of the school feeding programme and prevent future discrepancies.
During the session, Hon. Dakoa Newman also expressed her gratitude to the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, and all parliament members, past and present, for their role in passing the Affirmative Action Bill 2024.
The committee meeting was attended by various officials, including Hon. Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Welfare, and Hon. Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources.
The PAC announced a one-week break and will reconvene on August 12, 2024, to review the Auditor-General’s report on Government Boards, Corporations, and Commissions for the year ending December 31, 2023.
