MAKE RESEARCH FINDINGS ON GSFP PUBLIC (PAGE 17)

THE Liaison officer at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) on the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Mrs Levina Owusu, has stressed on the need for results of various research works on the GSFP to be made public and available.
She noted that when such findings were integrated into the programme, it would not only help in sustaining it, but will also improve significantly on the quality of food and hygiene in the beneficiary schools.
Mrs Owusu called for effective collaboration with various stakeholders on the programme to pluck out the loopholes and map out workable strategies to realise the impact of the programme in reducing child mortality, poverty reduction and ensuring high school enrolment in the deprived communities.
The officer, who was speaking at a roundtable meeting on sustainable cooking energy for the GSFP in Tamale, accepted the shortcomings in the programme, and said with effective teamwork by all players, the programme could be improved.
The meeting was organised by New Energy, a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with the Civil Society Organisation Platform on GSFP.
The two-day workshop dialogued on clean, environmentally safe, efficient, user-friendly and culturally acceptable and affordable sources of energy for the GSFP.
Some of the participants expressed concern about the irregular supply of gas and the fear of its usage.
It also came out that some stoves and regulators that were supplied to some beneficiary schools were still not in use because they were inappropriate for the tasks, while some other schools have no kitchens.
On the way forward, they suggested the improvement of charcoal stoves, promotion of biogas use and the institutionalisation of cook stove programme alongside upgrading entire kitchens and harmonisation of research outcomes among stakeholders.
The Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor David Millar, emphasised the need for the establishment of a traditional energy unit at the Ministry of Energy to address alternative energy needs of communities.
The Chairperson of the CSO Platform, Ms Adama Jehanfo, said since the inception of the GSFP in 2005, there had been various evaluations by some NGOs on the programme.
These research findings, reports and evaluations have contributed to an awakened interest of the CSO/NGOs and have encouraged them more to increase their involvement in the GSFP to ensure that the programme was kept on track to meet its objectives, she indicated.