Alarm Bells Ring As Gov’t Claims GHC 2 million Daily Spent on Food Distribution

Scepticism has greeted the Akufo Addo administration’s claim that it spends GHC2 million daily to feed 400,000 “vulnerable people” across the country.

The scepticism stems from widespread complaints about miserable-looking food distributed to both citizens and security operatives enforcing lockdown orders and complaints about foods not being distributed as advertised in some communities.

According to George Ayisi, the Communications Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the state spends GH₵5 on each pack of food to feed over 400,000 under the social intervention program.

Speaking on Accra-based radio station, Starr FM, Mr Ayisi said: “We are spending 2 million a day on the hot meals we are providing and it is not one person alone preparing the meal. It is spread across many people.”

Critics estimate that the true figure may not exceed 100,000 people nationwide as suspicions are rife about possibilities of some of the funds for food being pocketed by officials.

Already, Ghanaians on social media have expressed distaste at the manner in which the government is forcing thousands of alleged poor people to scramble for food at the risk of sparking a wild Covid-19 contagion.

The Coalition of NGOs in Health has appealed to government to make use of the social workers to distribute the government’s food and other emergency social interventions for Covid-19.

Reports have it that the government is using its party executives in the communities to distribute these items. In some instances, beneficiaries have alleged that they were asked for New Patriotic Party (NPP) party cards before they were served.

According to the Chairman of the coalition, Gabriel Banaku, social workers will have better ways of managing social interventions and will not allow crowds to gather in the distribution of food.