The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has disbursed three cheques totalling GH₵199,471,691 to settle months of outstanding payments owed to suppliers of perishable goods under the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector.
The release, announced on Monday, covers arrears accumulated under the FSHS programme from October through February, and TVET-related perishables obligations from October through December. Suppliers providing food items and logistics support to boarding schools and technical institutes across the country had been awaiting settlement of these debts, with delays placing growing pressure on vendors.
The disbursement is expected to bring immediate relief to food vendors and logistics companies whose cash flows had been tied up in the unpaid invoices. Industry observers had noted that the prolonged arrears cycle was beginning to discourage some suppliers from participating in government feeding contracts altogether, a trend that risks reducing competition and pushing up procurement costs over time.
In a statement accompanying the release, GETFund described the payment as a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to honouring obligations to service providers who underpin feeding and logistics for both programmes. “GETFund remains committed to timely payments and sustained collaboration with stakeholders to strengthen educational service delivery across the country,” the fund’s Corporate Affairs Department said.
The Free Senior High School programme, introduced in September 2017, guarantees tuition-free secondary education to all eligible Ghanaian students, with the government responsible for meals, boarding, and essential supplies at public institutions. GETFund, established under Act 581 of 2000, serves as a primary conduit for supplementary education financing.
The TVET sector, which has undergone substantial policy reform in recent years similarly depends on consistent government disbursements to maintain residential and catering facilities at polytechnics, technical institutes, and apprenticeship centres.