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| - Claim: Food suppliers association official says previous NPP government had no outstanding debts to suppliers
Source: Africa Focus account on X
Verdict: False
Researched By Samuel Nii Adjetey
A quote card developed and shared by AfricaFocus claims the spokesperson for the National Food Suppliers Association (NFSA), Kwaku Amedume, has said the Akufo-Addo-led government had no outstanding debts to food suppliers.
The quote card reads; “The Previous Government had no outstanding debts to food suppliers- Kwaku Amedume (Spokesman National Food Suppliers Association.)”
A photo of the quote card in circulation…
Background
The National Food Suppliers Association plays a crucial role in Ghana’s education sector by providing essential food supplies to schools under the government’s Free Senior High School (FSHS) program.
The sector has faced significant challenges in paying suppliers leading to food shortages in schools scattered across the country. The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has raised concerns about the impact of these shortages, warning of potential disruptions to academic activities and urging the government to address the payment delays promptly.
Some suggestions by CHASS include a call on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to postpone the reopening of schools due to the unavailability of food. (here, here and here.)
Fact-Check
To verify the claim, the team found a recent interview Mr Amedume granted Happy FM on Monday, January 13, 2025, in which he spoke on the government’s debt to his association. [2:14:11-2:15:14]
During the interview, the spokesperson highlighted challenges relating to food supply to Senior High Schools and said;
“As we speak, the Government has paid 80 to 90% of the debt owed us, we have received another part of the money today. Hon. Adutwum, the Former Minister for Education was the one we were dealing with. He gave us plans that by the end of January, we would receive all arrears owed by the government. So, when it comes to money, we don’t have a problem with the government…”
From the above statement of Kwaku Amedume, it is clear that he mentioned that the government owed them some amounts, and also said his association has received additional payments, he did not say that the previous government had no outstanding debts to food suppliers.
To further verify the claim, GhanaFact reached out to Mr. Amedume to confirm if he has made such a claim on any other platform.
He debunked the quote in the post in a phone interview saying, “I have not said so anywhere. I said they have paid, and we are left with just small but the lion’s share of the money has been paid”.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim is False.
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