Heads of two Senior High Schools have raised concerns over the Ghana National Food Buffer Stock Company, alleging that the agency has consistently failed to disclose the cost of food items supplied to schools since 2024, complicating auditing processes and accountability checks.

The concerns were raised during proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee, where the Auditor-General flagged gaps in documentation relating to hundreds of bags and cartons of food delivered to selected schools under the government’s food supply programme.

According to school heads, deliveries are often accompanied only by waybills or invoices without stated monetary values, making it difficult for institutions to verify or account for the actual cost of supplies received.

Headmistress of Ahamansu Islamic Senior High School, Hassana Yahya, told the committee that repeated attempts to obtain full financial details from the Buffer Stock Company had been unsuccessful.

“Our school food items are being supplied by the National Buffer Stock Company. They only accompany the foods with the waybill, without the values… we wrote to them, thinking they would respond, but they never did,” she said.

She added that audit queries triggered correspondence with the agency, but responses were not forthcoming, leaving schools dependent on the Auditor-General’s office for clarification.

Her account was corroborated by the Headmaster of St. Mary’s Seminary Senior High School, Lolobi, Felix Akpah, who said the issue has persisted for years.

He explained that in many cases, deliveries are made without clear documentation of suppliers or item costs, and schools are required only to sign delivery records and return them.

“At this has been a problem since I became headmaster. Buffer Stock brings food items, sometimes even delivered by drivers, and we sign without knowing the prices. We keep asking but we don’t get responses,” he said.

He further noted that schools often have no independent means of verifying the value of supplies unless information is provided by the agency, which he says has not been forthcoming.

Committee members and audit officials expressed concern that the practice undermines transparency and makes it difficult to properly assess government expenditure on school feeding logistics.

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SHS Headmasters Concerned About Hidden Food Supply Costs From Buffer Stock Company

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