The Dutch government has committed GH�2.8 million grant to sponsor a Social Accountability Project (SAP), aimed at addressing some of the challenges facing the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).
SAP is expected to create multiple platforms, including the media, parliament, civil society organisations (CSOs) and the beneficiary communities to work in a concerted effort to ensure that the GSFP is implemented according to the rules and regulations at all levels.
The two- year project is being implemented jointly by the Ministry Of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), which is the supervising authority of the GSFP, the programme's national secretariat, the Embassy of the Royal Kingdom of Netherlands and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation.
One of the key activities of the SAP is the Independent Civil Society Organisation Monitoring and Evaluation (ICSO-M&E), which is a platform for CSOs to use various monitoring tools to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the GFSP at the district level.
Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh Minister of the MLGRD officially opened the ICSO-M&E component, at a three- day workshop in Accra for 60 participants drawn from some selected CSOs.
The Minister explained that the GSFP is an initiative that is aimed at attaining some of the targets set in the Millennium Development Goals, which includes, increase and sustained enrolment at the basic school level by providing the pupils with one hot nutritious meal a day, using locally grown foodstuffs.
"Unfortunately, such a noble programme has been confronted with series of challenges," he noted.
Mr Chireh said SAP will help address the unfavourable public perception and some of the challenges of the GSFP by actively involving all stakeholders in the programme implementation.
He said the other compelling reasons why the GSFP should be supported to succeed is based on the fact that it has been designed to address poverty in the rural areas through procurement of at least 80 per cent of the food items from local farmers.
Mr Keita Amagoin, Country Director of SNV Ghana, said indications are that some countries in the African Region have admired the GFSP, and are considering adopting it.
He therefore called on all the stakeholders to ensure the success of the GSFP.
Mrs Irene Odokai Messiba, the focal person for the GSFP at the MLGRD said a total of GH�59.2 million is being spent this year to feed an estimated 700,000 school children in a number of selected schools under the GSFP.
The government is contributing GH�50 million while the Dutch Government is providing GH�9.2 million.
She said the volume of money called for projects like SAP to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the resources and the achievement of the project objectives.
Mrs Messiba said civil society owes the public the responsibility to monitor and ensure that the GSFP is a success.