Hot!
Govt still owes us GH¢300m – National Food Suppliers Association
The National Food Suppliers Association has disclosed that the government still owes members of the association a little over GH¢300 million in arrears for food supplied to various senior high schools across the country.
Aggrieved members of the association on Friday, August 18, besieged the premises of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCo) to demand payment of 200 million Ghanaian cedis in arrears owed to the suppliers for the year 2022.
The suppliers began days of picketing at the Buffer Stock premises in July after months of appealing to the government for their arrears to be paid to help them continue to be in business.
They later expressed disappointment after only a partial payment was made to them.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, a spokesperson for the food suppliers association, Kwaku Amedume, said besieging of NAFCo’s premises was to demand their arrears, which have been losing value over the two years that they have been owed.
“When we picketed the last time, the government was able to raise GH¢100 million to be disbursed to members with the promise that they were going to get us the balance on August 17. So what happened was that some of our members approached the buffer stock to enquire about how far they were preparing to settle us. We went into a meeting with them [on August 18] and the information was that the Ministry of Education has released GH¢80 million to be disbursed to the suppliers and that will bring up the total payment for 2022 to GH¢180 million representing about 85 percent of the total arrears owed suppliers.”
“We still have 2023 arrears that range a little around 300 million Ghanaian cedis that they have promised to do something about it in two weeks’ time, and so we actually went to the Buffer Stock to find out when we were going to be paid.”
Source: Citinewsroom.com
The spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has criticised the implementation of the NDC government’s No Fee Stress policy, arguing that the programme has failed to deliver on its core promise.
According to him on Starr fm, the policy, which was introduced to ensure stress free payment of fees for level 100 tertiary students, has rather turned into what he described as post stress support.
He explained that students are required to pay their fees first before applying for reimbursement, a situation he believes defeats the purpose of the policy.
He questioned claims by government officials that the policy has been successful and that citizens are happy.
In his view, such claims do not reflect the lived realities of many Ghanaians. He stressed that while some people may appear satisfied, many others continue to struggle.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye pointed to the situation of trained teachers and nurses who have been picketing for nearly six months, demanding employment.
He noted that government responses suggesting it cannot accommodate all of them contradict claims of economic stability.
He further argued that economic indicators such as a stable currency mean little to people who are unable to secure jobs or access promised support.
He observed that telling an unemployed teacher or a struggling student that the cedi has strengthened does not address their immediate challenges.
On the issue of tertiary education, he maintained that no level 100 student benefited from stress free fees in 2025, despite the policy being announced.
He added that in 2026, students have already reported to school without receiving the promised support.
He insisted that asking students to pay fees first and seek reimbursement later amounts to support after hardship, not stress free education.
According to him, this approach goes against what was promised during the policy announcement.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye questioned why a government that presents the economy as strong is unable to fulfil what he described as simple and clear promises.
He added that there is a fundamental problem with the way the economy is being managed and indicated that he is prepared to explain his position further.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Dancehall musician Shatta Wale has issued a strong public statement calling for an end to what he describes as continuous attacks on his brand, following an apology from media commentator Awal Mohammed.
In the statement, Shatta Wale acknowledged the apology but stressed that persistent criticism and what he sees as deliberate attempts to damage his image must stop.
He noted that for many years, he has spoken for the streets, the youth, and people who feel ignored by society, while also promoting Ghana on the global stage and creating jobs through his work.
He expressed concern that some media personalities, commentators, and influential figures continue to target his name unfairly.
According to him, the issue goes beyond music and touches on respect, fairness, and national maturity.
The musician warned that continued disrespect toward voices that represent ordinary people could have wider consequences.
He emphasised that the Shatta Movement remains strong and organized, and that the patience of the masses should not be taken for granted.
He added that if systems continue to fail the people, they have the ability to organize politically through numbers and truth, not violence or hate.
Shatta Wale clarified that his message was not a threat but a reminder of reality, stressing that attacking a symbol that represents millions of people can have social, cultural, and democratic effects.
He called for respect, fairness, and unity, saying the voice of the people will always rise.
The statement comes after Awal Mohammed recently described Shatta Wale fans during a public discussion as junkies.
The comments triggered backlash from fans of the musician, prompting Awal to later issue an apology.
By: Jacob Aggrey
