Today in 2020: Coronavirus hot meals costing GH¢2m per day – NADMO

The Communications Director of NADMO, George Ayisi, in April 2020, revealed that the government was spending an amount of 2 million cedis daily on the free hot meals provided to some vulnerable persons during the lockdown.

Speaking in an interview on Morning Starr, Mr Ayisi stated: “We are spending 2 million a day on the hot meals we are providing and it is not one person alone preparing the meal. It is spread across many people.”

Read the full story originally published on April 13, 2020, on Ghanaweb

Government is spending GH¢2 million on the hot meals being provided for Ghaianas in the lockdown areas in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic in Ghana, NADMO has revealed.

According to the Communications Director of NADMO, George Ayisi, each pack of food costs the state GH¢5. Over 400,000 people are being fed under the social intervention program.

Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Monday, Mr Ayisi said he, however, favours a situation where people would be given dry meals to cook by themselves.

“We are spending 2 million a day on the hot meals we are providing and it is not one person alone preparing the meal. It is spread across many people,” he said.

Mr. Ayisi also said he is yet to come across any of the videos of Ghanaians in lockdown areas scrambling for food being distributed by NADMO.

According to him, he has however been informed of the videos which are replete on various social media platforms.

"I’m yet to see the video of masses receiving food. NADMO officials have however been instructed to go by the social distance protocols.

“The thing is before we go there the crowd is gathered and they think the food is going to get finished but we have enough,” he told Francis Abban on Morning Starr Monday.

Some Ghanaians have taken to social media to express concerns over the manner in which government is distributing food to the vulnerable in the lockdown areas. Videos on social media have shown crowds gather in queues for food and other items.

The Coalition of NGOs in Health has appealed to government to make use of the social workers in its social intervention provisions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ghana.

According to the chairman of the coalition, Gabriel Banaku, social workers will have better ways of managing social interventions and will not allow crowds to gather in the distribution of food.