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Minister meets new leadership of Ghana School Feeding Programme
The Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has held her first official meeting with the new leadership of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).
The meeting brought together the National Coordinator, Madam Hajia Fati Forgor, the two Deputy National Coordinators ( Madam Felicia Mekpoi Bortey and Madam Faustina Lamptey), and the MASLOC CEO to discuss the way forward for the programme.
In her remarks, the Minister emphasized the need for strong collaboration between the GSFP and the Ministry, noting that effective teamwork would help resolve challenges affecting the programme.
She stressed that GSFP remains a priority area for President John Dramani Mahama, and as such, all stakeholders must work together to enhance its quality and expand its reach, particularly in vulnerable communities.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of proper monitoring and supervision to ensure caterers are delivering nutritious meals to school children.
The Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr. Afisah Zakariah, took the opportunity to brief the new coordinators on the programme’s structure, approval processes, reporting lines, and payment systems.
She reiterated that the GSFP, under the supervision of the Ministry, is committed to its core mandate of providing one hot, nutritious meal daily to pupils from Kindergarten to Primary Six.
Madam Hajia Fati Forgor, the new National Coordinator, expressed gratitude to the Minister for the warm reception and pledged to work closely with her deputies to fulfill the vision of the President.
She acknowledged the Minister’s commitment to strengthening the programme and assured both the President and the Ministry of her dedication to addressing challenges, including fostering open dialogue with caterers for smooth operations.
The CEO of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Abigail Akwambea Elorm Mensah also participated in the meeting and explored potential collaboration with GSFP to support caterers financially while they await payments.
Discussions further touched on restructuring the GSFP to enhance efficiency and sustainability.
The meeting ended on a note of renewed commitment to improving the programme’s effectiveness and ensuring that school children across the country receive quality meals.
Hajia Fati and the two deputies were be later introduced to the staff of the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested three men believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate responsible for abducting a 42-year-old man in Wapuli, a community in the Yendi District.
The suspects, Haruna Seidu, Amidu Bandi and Osman Bandi allegedly kidnapped the victim and demanded GH¢100,000 from his family for his release.
According to a police statement, officers from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate were deployed to Wapuli after the incident was reported.
The team conducted surveillance and launched a rescue operation.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, police successfully rescued the victim and arrested the suspects after what was described as an intense exchange of gunfire.
The suspects were later taken into custody and are expected to be arraigned before court.
The Police said the a fourth suspect, who is believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the operation, is currently on the run.
They urged the public to provide any information that may lead to his arrest.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong advocates Bold educational reforms at the UK House of Lords during Global Education Summit.
On November 27 2025, global development leaders, policymakers, education experts and civil society organisations gathered at the UK Parliament’s House of Lords for the Global Education Summit hosted by The Baroness Verma of Leicester and organised by the African British Business Forum.
The high-level event focused on the global rise in out-of-school children and the urgent reforms required to deliver equitable, quality education for all.
Among the distinguished Speakers was Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, Founder & President of Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) and General Manager of the EIB Network, who delivered a compelling address on the theme “Breaking Barriers: Empowering Out-of-School Children Through Education.”
In her remarks, Nana Yaa who is currently celebrating 26years of Service in the Media, emphasized that education must be viewed as essential national infrastructure, not charity.
Borrowing experiences from her 18 years of empowering women and young people, she presented a strong case on how Africa’s poor educational systems tie into the poor state of its Gender Equality gap.
According to her, unlocking access to education is one of the most effective ways to strengthen economies, empower women and young girls, build resilient communities and drive sustainable development.
She highlighted that each child excluded from learning represents deferred innovation, delayed opportunity and a weakened society.
Nana Yaa noted that the barriers keeping millions of children out of school are complex and interconnected—ranging from poverty and cultural norms to geographical isolation and digital exclusion.
Addressing these challenges, she argued, requires solutions that are equally comprehensive and multi-layered.
Nana Yaa stressed that girls remain disproportionately affected, and investing in girls’ education has a transformative impact across several Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, poverty reduction, health outcomes and climate resilience.
Nana Yaa advocated for the expansion of flexible, inclusive and community-responsive educational models, such as mobile classrooms for remote and nomadic communities, community learning hubs, after-hours programmes for working children, radio-based instruction for low-tech areas and digital platforms designed to reach learners regardless of connectivity challenges.
She warned that without deliberate action, the digital divide would continue to widen, pushing already vulnerable children further to the margins.
During her presentation, she introduced three major reforms WiSA is seeking Partners for, aimed at reshaping educational access across Africa and beyond.
These are the Digital Bridge for Out-of-School Children (DBOC), the Community Education Stewardship Hubs (CESH) involving local women educators and youth volunteers and the Teen-focused Global Skills Accelerator for Out-of-School Teens (GSA-OT).
She also underscored the need for education systems that support instruction, inclusivity and healing, particularly for children experiencing autism, trauma, displacement or conflict.
Nana Yaa emphasised that emotional and psychological support must be integrated into educational frameworks in order to restore confidence, stability and long-term learning capacity.
The summit concluded with strong commitments from stakeholders to adopt sustainable financing models, strengthen data-driven policies and expand cross-sector partnerships.
The African British Business Forum reaffirmed its commitment to championing innovative, scalable solutions to educational inclusion across the UK, Africa and the wider global community.
