On Thursday, June 6, 2024, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia announced plans to engage Cabinet regarding the potential involvement of parents in overseeing food distribution for students enrolled in the free SHS program.
Concerns have been raised about the quality of food provided to students, as well as reports of some school authorities misappropriating food items for personal use.
Additionally, recent issues with food supply shortages have been highlighted, with the National Food Buffer Stock citing government arrears.
During a meeting with clergy members as part of his Greater Accra Region tour on Wednesday, June 5, Vice President Bawumia was urged by a clergy member to consider involving Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in supervising food distribution to schools if he assumes the presidency.
Dr. Bawumia expressed support for the idea, noting that he had already written on the proposal. He pledged to inform Cabinet about the initiative during their meeting on Thursday.
Acknowledging the potential for misuse in the current system, Dr. Bawumia emphasized the importance of implementing effective solutions. He cited his longstanding interest in improving governance and efficiency, referencing his past writings on similar topics.
Additionally, Dr. Bawumia highlighted the importance of commercial agriculture in addressing high food prices. He proposed expanding food production through technology-driven precision agriculture, mechanization, and irrigation to reduce food costs.
“If they get five bags, they may declare one bag. If nobody is looking. And so, this is a brilliant, really, suggestion. So, tomorrow I’ll be in Cabinet with the Education Minister and this is one of the first things I’m going to tell him that we are going to have to do. This makes a lot of sense,” Dr. Bawumia noted.
“I’ve even written a book in 2010 on some of these things. And you’ll find some of these ideas. These are the ideas that keep playing in my mind. I’m always thinking of how to get things done, how to do things better, and all of that. So, I take your point very well.”
Furthermore, he mentioned plans to explore electric vehicles for public transportation as part of broader efforts to address environmental and economic challenges.
“Going forward, this is why I’m focusing on a few areas. First of all, I think agriculture and the expansion in food production will bring down food prices so that the hunger that we feel will come down. So Agric becomes very important in bringing down food prices.
“This is why I believe that commercial agriculture, technology-driven precision agriculture, irrigated agriculture, mechanized agriculture is the way for Ghana to go, as many countries will do. I’ve also made a suggestion. We hope to start experimenting this year for public transport to move towards electric vehicles,” he explained.