Mr. Chairman, Director of the Ministry of Local Government, National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme, Board members of SIGN, representatives of organisations and institution, ladies and gentlemen.
It gives me much pleasure to give the opening address of the SIGN conference on behalf of the Government and People of Ghana.
I think it would be flawed to declare this conference a “goodbye SIGN conference”, rather, I believe this gathering is to celebrate the work of SIGN. It is a moment to celebrate the achievement of SIGN and the tremendous progress Ghana has made over the years in advancing the welfare of school aged children and market access to small holder farmers through the home grown school feeding programme.
Mr. Chairman, since 2005, Ghana has been implementing the programme with its accompanying challenges and opportunities. The Dutch match funding for the procurement of local produce for the school feeding programme was a strong boost for the programme. To say the least, the relationship with SIGN has been an exciting relationship. The Dutch contribution, and the involvement of SIGN, generated a lot of support, but also mounted positive pressure on the Government of Ghana to deliver an efficient school feeding programme. Through this support, nearly a million school children are being fed today.
Indeed, the gathering of key stakeholders including the Government of Ghana, the Dutch Government, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Partnership for Child Development and SNV among others, clearly demonstrates the relative progress that the Government and People of Ghana have made with this programme.
Mr. Chairman, as SIGN officially ends its support mandate to the GSFP, I am compelled, as a strong believer of the school feeding programme, to reflect on some of the lessons that Ghana can pick from the relationship with the Dutch, and about the implementation of the GSFP. I am therefore happy to note that today’s event is one of stocktaking, reflections and sharing of experiences relevant for the advancement of the school feeding programme in Ghana. To choose to bow out of the stage with such an agenda, clearly demonstrate the good intentions of SIGN and the Dutch partners for that matter.
To SIGN and its member I say “ayekoo” for the loyal support even when the times were hard. Your commitment to the programme over the years, I believed, has challenged us to carry forward the implementation of the programme. As a loyal but constructively critical collaborator, SIGN assisted in supporting the implementation structure through interventions including the recruitment of a communications specialist, development of a website for the programme, supporting the social accountability project as well as the establishment of the civil society platform in northern Ghana among others.
Indeed, we acknowledge that the engagement was not all rosy and easy. The programme has suffered mismanagement in the past. Today, I am happy to announce that the government remains
committed not only to sustaining the programme, but to strengthening it. The push and guidance from SIGN and other organisations have contributed to this. However, government must also be commended for taking the bold step to attaining full transition towards national funding. The end of the Dutch funding has not only led to full government funding, but also commitment to expand the programme to reach one million forty (1,040,000) children in 2011.
As we reflect on the work of SIGN and the impact the organisation has made in supporting the GSFP, let us remember that the GSFP implementation requires effective planning and coordination across sectors. Above all, it requires commitment and passion because it affects our children who are our future; it affects our farmers who remain the bedrock of our economy. Ultimately, a programme such as the GSFP can transform the future of our country.
Mr. Chairman, I cannot end without sharing some thoughts with the four categories of people here gathered (SIGN and the Dutch, the GSFP implementers, our development partners and the Ghanaian Diaspora):
To SIGN and the Dutch, the government and people of Ghana appreciate your tireless efforts, especially Hans Eenhoorn, for being an inspiration to the programme. This is not and cannot be goodbye. As a child learning how to ride a bicycle, you gave us the necessary push. As a people, our ambition is to look ahead and generate the success that will transform the fortunes of our school children and small holder farmers. The exit of SIGN is a challenge to strike for national ownership.
To the programme implementers gathered here, this is the time to show programme maturity and ownership. With our heads held high and our hearts in the right place, let us ensure our children and farmers have a secure future through this programme. In June this year I had a firsthand experience of what we can achieve through home grown school feeding during a tour of some schools in the Greater Accra Region. Through this trip, I am more convinced today than ever that the school feeding programme has come to stay and its benefits far reaching. We are already consolidating effective programme implementation and showing signs of programme maturity through processes like the retargeting and the development of a school feeding policy. However, there is still a long road to go.
To succeed we need passion, we need to believe, we need to collaborate and we need to act decisively and apolitically. However, all of these qualities will result to nothing without a strong institutional capacity to run the programme.
To our development partners here present, we continue to value your contribution. You have an important role to play in providing technical assistance towards the realisation of key processes that will enhance the capacity of government, support the structures for sustainability and the link the programme to local production. Ghana has an opportunity to become a model of best practice on the African continent. We have achieved relative successes, but we have also made our mistakes. I
hope we can be humble enough to learn from our mistakes. Development partners and civil society are crucial not only keeping government on its toes, but supporting the government in addressing some of its challenges. We need partnership with various sectors and organisations to make progress. I believe this room demonstrates the kind of partnership needed.
To the Ghanaian diaspora, your support - financial, infrastructural and moral is highly relevant. The GSFP is a programme for the people hence all hands must be on deck. Your monitoring of the programme from afar, and supporting your local communities with the implementation of the programme is one key step towards sustainability. You are the watchdogs of the programme.
Mr. Chairman, I wish to end by again congratulating SIGN and its partners for a good job well done. I hope you will continue to follow and track the progress of the GSFP and seek other innovative ways of engaging with the programme.
On this note, I declare the conference duly opened and I look forward to a healthy sharing of experiences.
Thank You.
