The NDC Member of Parliament for Cape Coast North Constituency, Kwamena Minta Nyarku has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of using 25 million dollars to produce alcohol (Apeteshie) instead of sugar.
Apeteshie is a homebrewed alcoholic spirit produced in Ghana and other West African nations by distilling palm wine or sugar cane juice.
The sugar producing factory, established in 1964 has been defunct for some years due to some technical problems and setbacks.
From the onset of the factory’s existence, the reason was to produce sugar locally, thus reducing the importation of sugar. But after its recommissioning by the John Dramani Mahama regime, the factory has been left dormant.
Independent sugarcane consultants revealed that they never completed the test which was to be conducted on the Komenda Sugar Factory before the recommissioning in 2016. This came up because of insufficient sugarcane to be used to run the test.
The President, Akufo-Addo in an interview said the decision taken by his predecessor, John Dramani Mahama, to revamp the Komenda Sugar factory without first establishing a sugarcane plantation betrays every principle of construction.
“It is like building a house, and say you are going to start from the roof before you have a foundation. How does the house get built? The President said.
Responding to the President’s statement on Cape FM on Friday, October 15, former President Mahama said, “I’m not that foolish to set up a factory and have no plan for the provision of raw materials. I knew what the vision was. It was to get the raw materials first.”
Speaking in an exclusive interview on ‘HardBall’ – a political talk show hosted by Kwamena Owusu Agyemang on Accra-based Hot 93.9F, the MP for Cape Coast North Hon Kwamena Minta Nyarku accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of using 25 million dollars secured in Mahama’s administration in producing alcohol (Apeteshie) instead of sugar.
According to the lawmaker, he does not know what exactly the money was used for or how the sugarcane was planted. “All I saw was the Komenda factory which was meant to produce sugar used in producing Akpeteshie,” he told Kwabena Owusu.
Mr. Nyarko averred that the sugarcane was planted but was not used for its preliminary purpose as stated.
Source: Modern Ghana
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