The National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) on Friday said it does not owe any supplier as it has paid GH¢68 million cedis to them for the first semester.

“We have since paid GH¢68 million cedis and the evidence is here to show Payment is made only after delivery. I am not aware of any official complainant of non-payment by any supplier,” Mr. Hanan Abdul-Wahab, Chief Executive Officer, NAFCO said a press conference in Accra.

Mr. Abdul-Wahab was speaking at a press conference following media reports that some heads of Senior High Schools have threatened to close down schools due to the absence of food.

This was as a result of some suppliers claiming that they have not been paid by NAFCO.

NAFCO supplies food items like Gari, Millet, Soya bean, Tin Tomatoes, Margarine, Mackerel Vegetable oil and Sugar to schools.

Mr. Abdul- Wahab said: “We do not owe any supplier this semester and as you know the second semester is yet to end, but as I speak we do not own any supplier since last year.

We are hoping that by the end of this week we will get the cheques and continue with payment of our suppliers for the second semester which is yet to end.”

He told the media that as at the end of last year the company spent 180 million cedis on suppliers.

Touching on how payment was done, the CEO of NAFCO explained that “By the very terms of the License issued to the suppliers, payment is made only after delivery. So if anyone claims we owe him or her, it could be either that the person is yet to complete the supply or is done with it and have filed the Store Receipt Vouchers (SRVs) but still within the stipulated 60 day period.”

Mr. Abdul-Wahab said suppliers were given license which include appointment letters, an introductory letter introducing the said supplier to the school, quantity of food to be supplied and the amount to be paid for the items supplied.

Additionally, he said one of the terms in the conditions spelt out in the License issued to suppliers stated clearly that payment for work done was within 60 days from the day a supplier submitted his or her SRVs to NAFCO.

The CEO said with regard to the current semester, most suppliers were done with their supplies by December last year and they had also filed their necessary documents with NAFCO.

He said “when the time is due, they will definitely have their payments.”

The CEO of NAFCO pleaded with the media to be circumspect in their reportage.

“Be guided by the journalistic principle of fairness, objectivity and balance by seeking the opinions of all sides before publishing stories.

We have and continue to keep open doors policy which allows 24 hour access to our officials on all issues relating to our mandates and roles,” Mr. Abdul-Wahab stressed.

On the need to push for made in Ghana products, the CEO of NAFCO said, currently there was 100 per cent supply of Ghana Rice to the School Feeding Programme and Free Senior High Schools.

“As I speak, we do not import maize from any country,” he added.