Former Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has alleged widespread corruption and mismanagement within the School Feeding Programme, revealing that former President Akufo-Addo initially requested an audit but later distanced himself from it.
Speaking in an interview with one of the media houses, the former Dome-Kwabenya MP stated that Akufo-Addo ordered the audit immediately after her appointment, even before funds were allocated to the ministry.
However, she claimed that after significant irregularities were uncovered, she faced resistance, marking the beginning of her challenges in office.
According to Adwoa Safo, a former coordinator of the program refused to cooperate with the audit process despite multiple invitations.
“I put together a solid audit team who went to the regions. I invited the coordinator several times, but she refused to show up. When I called her, she told me she wasn’t happy with me. She even said if she had any concerns, she would take them to the powers that be and refused to provide essential documents,” she said.
She further alleged that the same coordinator later proposed a scheme to add ghost schools to the program for personal gain, which she refused.
Despite the challenges, the audit was completed, and a report was submitted to the Cabinet for onward presentation to the President. However, Adwoa Safo claimed the report was shelved after public criticism.
After the backlash, President Akufo-Addo said he was not the one who directed me to do the audit and that I should even shelve it. That is where my problems started,” she disclosed.
She called for an investigation into the School Feeding Programme, stating that most of the irregularities were uncovered in the Central Region.
Voice of Sarah Adwoa Safo
Former Dome-Kwabenya Member of Parliament (MP), Sarah Adwoa Safo, has opened up about the mistreatment she faced from New Patriotic Party (NPP) members.
The former Gender Minister disclosed that she was sidelined from committee work and removed from the parliamentary platform after her dismissal as Gender Minister on July 28, 2022.
Some individuals even labeled her a traitor.
“At one point, I was not given any parliamentary committee. After I complained, I was assigned to the Judiciary Committee, but meetings were never called,” she shared in an interview on Accra-based Okay FM.
She further explained that while it’s the new leader’s responsibility to consult predecessors on committee preferences, her case was different. “I was just in parliament and even removed from the MPs’ platform with claims that I was a traitor,” she lamented.
Adwoa Safo expressed disappointment over being wrongly accused, despite her dedication to the party, and emphasized that she never abandoned her ministerial and parliamentary duties.
This comes after she recently revealed she was moved to the backbench as a first-time MP following her removal as Deputy Majority Leader.
Voice of Sarah Adwoa Safo
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