The Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has hinted at an upward adjustment in the cost per meal for schoolchildren under the School Feeding Programme.
According to him, the cost per meal will rise from GH¢1.50 to GH¢2.
This represents a 33% increase in the feeding fee, a policy initially introduced by the Mahama-led government.
Speaking on X Space, hosted by KalyJay and monitored by GhanaWeb Business, the finance minister stated, “Currently, the government of Ghana pays GH¢1.50 per child per day. Unfortunately, we all agree that this amount is too small and can’t even buy one egg.
“In the budget, we will be increasing this modestly to an appreciable limit, so you should expect to see some increase. We intend to index this to inflation to determine what we can do. I think we intend to increase it to a minimum of GH¢2 per child, per day. I believe this will be a significant improvement from where we are,” Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson added.
Initially, the cost per meal per child was GH¢1, but the previous government increased it to GH¢1.20.
In 2023, a total of 3,801,491 children benefited from the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
The initiative aims to provide prepared meals in schools to boost enrolment, prevent starvation, and improve nutrition.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance is expected to present the 2025 budget in Parliament on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
