Mar 9, 2026
The Bono Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboah, has called for stronger state institutions to enable them to deliver on their mandates effectively.
He made the call when the CEO of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), George Abradu-Otoo, paid a courtesy call on him at the Regional Coordinating Council in Sunyani.
Mr Akwaboah described NAFCO as a strategic state institution that must be adequately resourced to perform its role in stabilising food supply and supporting the country’s food security agenda.
He commended the company for its efforts in addressing grain glut challenges in several parts of the country.
The NAFCO CEO was in the Bono Region as part of a nationwide working tour of senior high schools and agricultural facilities to assess food supply conditions.
As part of the visit, Mr Abradu-Otoo toured Sunyani Senior High School, where he met the Headmaster, Gordon Osei Marfo, to discuss food supply for students.
Mr Marfo, who also serves as the National Treasurer of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), called for a revised national menu to guide feeding in senior high schools.
He said the school currently has enough food in stock to cater for its student population of about 4,400.
“We have so much food in stock; now we even compel the students to go for dining,” he said.
The Rector of the seminary, Rev. Fr. Felix Taah, similarly assured the delegation that the school has adequate food supplies to feed its students.
Mr Abradu-Otoo said NAFCO will continue to strengthen engagement with key stakeholders to ensure the smooth implementation of the Free Senior High School policy.
The visit to Bono forms part of a broader tour by the NAFCO CEO, who has already visited the Eastern, Ashanti, Bono East and Bono regions.
Feb 11, 2026
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), George Abradu-Otoo, has disclosed that 14 companies have so far been licensed to supply food commodities under the company’s current procurement framework.
The licensed firms are authorised to procure food directly from farming communities and deliver the commodities to NAFCO warehouses across the country.
“So far, we’ve licensed about 14 companies. They have their agents. Once you are licensed, you can go to places like Asutsuare to buy rice, deliver it to our warehouse and provide proof,” Mr Abradu-Otoo said in an interview on Face to Face on Channel One TV on Tuesday, 3 February.
He explained that all commodities supplied by the licensed companies are received and verified at NAFCO warehouses by designated officials, including storekeepers and regional managers, before being accepted into storage.
Mr Abradu-Otoo said pricing is determined by a Price Determination Committee made up of representatives from key stakeholder institutions, including the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Peasant Farmers Association, the Rice Millers Association and NAFCO.
According to him, the committee relies on research and market data gathered across the country to agree on prices. Once agreed, the proposed prices are submitted to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) for review and approval.
“They give the final authority, and based on that, we announce the prices and proceed,” he said.
Mr Abradu-Otoo stressed that the process is designed to ensure transparency, accountability and strict compliance with procurement regulations, adding that NAFCO’s immediate focus is on managing excess food supply.
“Our main concern right now is the glut,” he stated.
https://www.myjoyonline.com/nafco-licenses-14-companies-to-supply-food-commodities-ceo/
source:myjoyonlinenews
Feb 5, 2026
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), George Abradu-Otoo, has pledged to ensure his administration does not repeat alleged actions committed under his predecessor, Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, who is currently facing trial.
Speaking to Umaru Sanda Amadu on Face to Face on Channel One TV on Tuesday, February 3, Mr Abradu-Otoo accused the former CEO of running a “one-man show” during his tenure at the state institution.
Asked whether he fears prosecution when he leaves office, Mr Abradu-Otoo said he has no such concerns, insisting that his leadership approach is fundamentally different.
“No, because I’m not going to do any of the things that happened under him,” he stated.
He revealed that he has embarked on a restructuring process at NAFCO, which he said is already yielding positive results.
“I have started doing a lot of restructuring, and so far it’s working tremendously. Some of the departments were non-functional. There was no functional audit department, no procurement department, food safety wasn’t working. It was a sort of one-man show, and that is what I’m running away from. I don’t like a one-man show,” he said.
When asked whether the charges against Abdul-Wahab relate to the issues he has identified, Mr Abradu-Otoo replied in the affirmative.
He also cited his previous tenure as CEO of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) as evidence of his leadership style, noting that it did not attract public criticism.
“I was the CEO, nobody heard about me. I was never called to explain one thing I did, even after we went into opposition for eight years,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General has filed multiple criminal charges against former NAFCO CEO Hanan Abdul-Wahab Aludiba, his wife Faiza Seidu Wuni, and three others over the alleged theft and laundering of more than ₵78 million in public funds.
The accused, including the Aludiba Foundation, Energy Partners Limited, and Richard Sam-Asante (currently at large), face 24 counts ranging from stealing and money laundering to fraudulently causing financial loss to the Republic, using public office for profit, and intentional dissipation of public funds.
The case, filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra, alleges the offences occurred between February 2017 and February 2025 during Mr Abdul-Wahab’s tenure as NAFCO CEO.
Source : ChannelOneTv
Feb 3, 2026
On Thursday 28th January 2026, our Board Chairman, Dr. Eric Osei Owusu led a company team to the 2026 Performance Contract Negotiations with the State Interest and Governance Authority ( SIGA).
Buffer Stock’s operational performance for the year under review was highly commended.
Jan 21, 2026
There are indications that barring any last-minute unforeseen changes, the country’s national food aggregator, the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), could hold its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) since its establishment in 2010.
The holding of the proposed AGM is subject to approvals from the state entities’ regulator, the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), and the company’s own governing board, and is expected to complete months of reforms after being engulfed in years of underperformance.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, George Abradu-Otoo, who dropped the hint during the 2026 maiden staff interactions in Accra, also intimated that some “modest gains” were made in the year 2025, necessitating the urge to fulfil a major regulatory requirement by holding the AGM.
An Annual General Meeting (AGM) is a mandatory yearly gathering where a company’s directors report to shareholders on financial performance and future plans, allowing shareholders to exercise ownership rights by voting on key issues like board appointments, auditor selection, and dividends, ensuring transparency and legal compliance under specific statutes like the Companies Act.
It’s a vital governance mechanism for accountability and engagement between management and stakeholders, requiring formal procedures for notice, conduct, and minutes.
NAFCO is wholly owned by the government of Ghana and is required to hold Annual General Meetings (AGMs), per the provisions of the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992).
Records from SIGA indicate that, over the years, NAFCO has been compliant with its up-to-date Audited Accounts, and holding a maiden AGM will consolidate its performance
It is yet to be known how the company performed financially in the year under review until the ongoing audits are completed, but there are indications that its 2025 performance improved over 2024.
In 2024, the company is reported to have incurred financial losses.
In terms of operations, the company seamlessly carried out food supply to schools under the Free Senior High School Programme and took on the major task of revamping the National Food Security Reserve (NFSR) after the government released GH¢100 million for its initial take-off.
The NFSR entails mopping up excess grains from specific parts of the country where a glut has been reported.
Last year, Mr Abradu-Otoo spearheaded a series of institutional reforms, including the setting up of internal audit and entity tender committees to tighten oversight and ensure the company’s risk management, control, and governance processes are effective.
He commended staff for their dedication and urged them to brace themselves for what he termed “greater works”
Source:JoyOnline
Jan 12, 2026
In the run-up to the 2024 general election, the NDC and its flag bearer placed agriculture at the centre of their campaign and, indeed, prioritised it in government.
This has been seen in the launch of several interventions aimed at promoting various aspects of agriculture, including grains, legumes, tree crops, poultry and aquaculture.
It is expected that the collective success of all interventions will make the country food-secure, produce surpluses for export and maintain at least a three-month national food reserve.
It is also anticipated that the intervention will generate millions of jobs, reduce reliance on imports, modernise agriculture, eliminate post-harvest losses and bring food inflation under control.
The question now is: how do we ensure these interventions are sustained to maximise the gains?
What is required foremost is political commitment and a continuous demonstration of the same in the years ahead.
Glimpse of hope
For now, three instances give me hope. In early November, President Mahama instructed public educational institutions at all levels to buy only locally produced rice, maize and eggs.
Earlier, he had ordered the release of funds to the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to buy surplus grains from farmers and store them in the revamped National Food Reserve (NFR).
Much earlier, he had ordered the Ghana Education Service (GES) to mop up excess tomatoes in the Agogo enclave for use in schools.
We have a sector minister, Eric Opoku, who seems to share the President’s vision, dreams and aspirations and this alone gives me comfort.
Adequate funding
Beyond political commitment, it is essential to ensure adequate funding for the implementation of the interventions.
To mop up excess grains into the National Food Reserve, NAFCO, for instance, required an amount of at least GH¢770 million.
However, the government could make available only GH¢100 million for it, though additional funds are still expected to come in.
In the years ahead, we must plan based on forecasts and provide the necessary financial support to eliminate or mitigate post-harvest challenges. Let us increase funding for research and innovations.
I am also of the opinion that there will be a need for a well-thought-out plan and strategies to execute the interventions.
Local food
Such plans must encourage processing and value addition.
It must step up the campaign to change taste and preferences in favour of locally grown and processed foods, especially for students and young people.
Educational institutions must heed the President’s directive and insist on the consumption of local foods by students and teachers.
The strategy must include components to address the challenges of market linkages; producers must be shown where to find buyers and vice versa.
I am a firm believer in the Feed Ghana idea, the Nkoko nkitikiti initiative, local fertiliser production, the agro-industrial parks, as well as irrigation and mechanisation in the agricultural space and with the right policies, we must not fail in our quest to make Ghana the food basket of the continent.
The writer is the Head of Corporate Affairs, National Food Buffer Stock Company.
