Accra, Oct. 2, GNA - Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Friday explained that the removal of Mr. Michael Nsowah, School Feeding Programme (SFP) Co-ordinator and his three deputies did not have anything to do with politics. "Their removal was part of our restructuring programme to meet the required standards of the African Union and New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD)," he said.

Mr. Chireh who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, in Accra said some officials of the programme had compromised the laid down regulations by including some well-to-do schools to the neglect of really deprived schools. He said deprived schools in the three northern regions and parts of the Central Region that were scheduled to be major beneficiaries of the programme were denied while endowed schools in some cities benefited. The Local Government Minister said the Dutch government pulled out of the programme due to misplacement of priorities and had since the beginning of the year re-committed itself to support the programme hence, the on-going restructuring.

Mr. Chireh said the government was collaborating with other bodies such as the World Bank, to expand the programme, which was operating on a pilot phase. He said the Joshua Alabi Committee that was set up to review and make recommendations for the smooth running of the programme had presented its report and at the stipulated time it would be made public for effective implementation.

The Minister said consultative mee tings were going on with stakeholders such the Ministries of Food and Agriculture, Health, Education and the Controller and Accountant General's Department after which he would report to the President for re-direction. The SFP, which was initiated by NEPAD to meet the Millennium Development Goals of enrolling more children in schools, is being piloted in some deprived schools in 10 African countries including Ghana. A total of 700,000 children are currently fed under the joint Ghana government and the Dutch government sponsored programme in deprived schools throughout the country.