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The first head of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Dr Kwame Amoako-Tuffuor, has expressed concern about government�s continued reliance on donors for the sustenance of the programme meant to provide a basic meal for school children in deprived communities while they acquire learning. Some development agencies funding the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), particularly the Dutch government, have withdrawn their sponsorship of the programme, leaving the government of Ghana as the major financial contributor to the programme. The programme initiated in 2005 under the NPP government, was part of the country�s Millennium Development Goals to create opportunities for improving farmers; production, reduce hunger, improve school enrollment, ensure school attendance and retention among children in the most deprived areas. However, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo says the aims of the programme have taken a nosedive because the key objective of targeting the marginalized and deprived communities has been misapplied, especially in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions. He disclosed this to the media in Kumasi after a stakeholders meeting was held on the need to re-target the programme to the most deprived communities in the country in order to get the necessary support from donor agencies. Some development specialists have expressed concern about the survival of the programme following the withdrawal of donor support, which underpins several projects carried out by the Government of Ghana. Speaking on Citi FM�s Eye Witness News on Wednesday August 24, the first Executive Chairman of the GSFP, Dr. Kwame Amoako-Tuffour, said he found it a �big disgrace� that government would want foreign donors to continue supporting the programme. Although he would not apportion blame, he bemoaned the deterioration of the programme, which was envisioned to serve as an economic catalyst not just to spur the growth of deprived Ghanaian children but increase agricultural production as the foods served were to be bought from local farmers. Contributing, a Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Aquinas Quansah agreed that re-targeting the programme had taken longer than expected. He insisted, however, that government was determined to continue the feeding programme with or without donors. In response to Dr. Amoako-Tuffuor�s concern on the issue of donors, he replied �Definitely, because it was a pilot we had many donors on board, but we�ve put measures in place to make sure we wean off any support from any donor. �We are now going to do budgetary allocation for school feeding because by the end of September we are adding 300,000 more pupils; government is bent on continuing this project�.