The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Afriyie Owusu Akoto, has reacted to the claims made by an NPP activist who has reportedly switched camps with the NDC that he prevented him from establishing a fertiliser manufacturing company in Ghana.
The man claimed on pro-NDC television network XYZ that he got $100,000 grant from the Unites States government and decided to set up a fertiliser plant in the then Brong Ahafo Region, but the minister did not sign for him to get the assurance, going into the industry.
He said he was encouraged to go into the sector after he was selected as one of the foremost youth entrepreneurs by the US government and also claimed that it was then President Obama who had signed his documents for him.
The minister has reacted to the claims in a statement, saying his accuser did not understand the workings of the fertiliser manufacturing industry, which he said one needed more money to be able to venture into it.
“My attention has been drawn to a video by a former NPP activist on social media who says I prevented him from establishing a fertiliser manufacturing company in Ghana. Unfortunately, he is exhibiting his total ignorance of the industry.
“First of all, he must be referring to a fertiliser blending factory NOT a fertiliser manufacturing plant. The latter requires the supply of natural gas as the basic input and requires minimum 1.5 billion US Dollars of investment. Since 2018 we have been talking to potential investors abroad to establish a fertiliser manufacturing plant at Jomoro in Western Region using our new-found gas discoveries by Tullow, etc.,” the minister pointed out.
The statement said “there is no natural gas in Brong Ahafo to manufacture fertilisers. The grant of $100,000 he claims was offered by the US Government cannot even build a fertilizer blending factory as he claims. It cost millions of dollars to put up such a factory,” adding “Currently, Ghana has six fertiliser blending factories and none of them needed a permit from me to set up.
“The comments made by this so-called NPP activist and entrepreneur are not only full of mischief but pure propaganda of the NDC design! They must therefore, be treated with the utter contempt they certainly deserve.”
