Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba, is under pressure from Members of Parliament (MPs) to provide list of traditional rulers engaged by her outfit to provide catering services under the Ghana School Feeding programme.

The minister in her response to a question by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bole Bamboi, Mr Yusuf Sulemana, announced to the surprise of members that her outfit has reserved 30 per cent of schools in each district for protocol allocations.

According to Madam Otiko, the 30 per cent protocol move was intended to rope in traditional leaders as well as community stakeholders in the programme.

“Mr Speaker, for the sustainability of the programme, 30 per cent of allocations were given on protocol, this protocol allocation is something that was put in, to ensure that traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the communities will be factored into the programme,” she said.

But speaking in an interview with Today, Mr Sulemana said the protocol system was a cover up to award contracts to party loyalists.

“Sometimes I don’t come to ask questions when there’s no need. I have interrogated a lot of those who benefit from this programme in my constituency, Bole Bamboi, and I can tell you we don’t even have up to three chiefs who have been awarded any contract as she is describing,” he said.
According to the MP the claim by the minister was a strategy by the NPP to give the 30 per cent to NPP women organisers.

Source: Today