The National Association of Institutional Suppliers (NAIS) has announced that it will proceed with its planned picketing exercise at the Ministry of Education despite fresh assurances from government officials regarding outstanding payments owed to suppliers under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.
The association is demanding the payment of approximately GH¢50 million for school uniforms, house dresses and school cloths supplied to public senior high schools since 2023.
The decision follows a meeting held on Wednesday, June 10, between representatives of NAIS and officials of the Free SHS Secretariat. During the engagement, suppliers were briefed on efforts being made to process their claims and were urged to exercise patience as government works to settle the outstanding debts.
However, the association says the assurances provided do not go far enough to justify cancelling the planned protest.
In a statement issued on June 3, NAIS explained that the picketing exercise had become necessary because of the prolonged delay in payments to suppliers who have fulfilled contracts under the flagship education programme.
According to the association, members have not received payment for goods supplied since 2023 despite several engagements with the relevant authorities.
President of NAIS, Emmanuel Ayivor, said repeated assurances from government officials had yet to result in the release of funds to suppliers.
While acknowledging the recent meeting with the Free SHS Secretariat, Mr Ayivor said members remained dissatisfied with the continued delays and were determined to press ahead with the demonstration.
He stressed that the association would proceed with Thursday’s picket at the Ministry of Education until concrete measures are taken to clear the outstanding arrears.
The suppliers argue that the prolonged non-payment is affecting their operations, straining their finances and threatening the sustainability of businesses that have honoured contractual obligations under the programme.
The planned protest is expected to increase pressure on government authorities to resolve the longstanding payment dispute and release funds owed to suppliers for contracts executed over the past two years.
The Free SHS programme remains one of Ghana’s flagship social interventions, providing free secondary education to hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. However, concerns over delayed payments to service providers and suppliers have periodically emerged as a major implementation challenge, prompting calls for more sustainable funding and payment mechanisms.
