Hanan Abdul-Wahab (middle) and his staff in a meeting with editors during the visit
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company Hanan Abdul-Wahab has announced that the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) is poised to ensure that it delivers on its mandate of feeding students under the free SHS programme and stabilizing prices of grains on the market.
He disclosed this to DAILY GUIDE editors yesterday when he and his officers paid a working visit to the Western Publications Group to familiarize themselves with activities of the newspaper.
He disclosed how his outfit constantly monitors the food supplies so beneficiaries of the free SHS are fed sufficiently.
To this end, he said he pays unannounced visits to schools and eats the meals of the students so he can assess the quality and quantity of what is being fed the beneficiaries of the programme.
The media, he said, is crucial in telling the story of NAFCO, a state agency responsible for supplying grains and other food items to schools under the free SHS across the country.
It plays an important role in the socio-economic development of the country.
Apart from the senior high schools, he said NAFCO also plays a role in the School Feeding Programme, and is working hard to engage with Prisons Service, Police, Ghana Health service and some local government institutions.
He said NAFCO plays a role in the stabilization of prices of grains on the market which it does through the release of its stock of critical grains it buys from farm gates, among others.
The CEO said that the challenge of inadequate storage facilities by the company is being addressed through the President’s ‘One District, One Warehouse’ initiative.
This and the other flagship initiatives such as the ‘Planting For Food And Jobs’ are areas in which NAFCO is active and hopes to make a mark.
Eighty warehouses are already operational across the country, he announced, adding that in July one more would be commissioned in the Yagba Kubore part of the newly created North Eastern Region.
One of his long-term programmes is to ensure an acceptance of locally produced rice in schools.
This, according to him, is being hampered by inadequate production by farmers and a taste for imported ones.
The team visited the press, newsroom and the studios of the Guide Radio and DGN.
Arnold Arkah, Senior Operations Manager and Emmanuel J.K. Arthur, Head of Communications accompanied him on the visit.