Akufo-Addo Gov’t Deliberately Refused US$24m Loan To Resurrect Komenda Sugar Factory

Former President John Dramani Mahama has charged the Akufo Addo administration for “deliberately” refusing a US$ 24 million intended to revive the comatose Komenda sugar factory which was established by the Mahama government to supply the country’s sugar needs.

According to Mr. Mahama, contrary to the current government’s claim that the former government did not make provision for raw material source to feed then factory, that provision has been available all this while.

“The Indian government offered to assist us with the project. We were to set up the factory first and later apply for a $24 million support for sugar cultivation from the Indian government. When this current government was elected, they indicated that the project was not among their priorities. Therefore, they didn’t apply for the funds,” Mahama said.

Former President Mahama made this known on Cape FM in Cape Coast, Central Region, where he is touring as part of his nationwide thank-you tour.

“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, and when we start production, we would have already had a processing plant,” Mahama added.

He promises that the next NDC government will operationalize the factory.

The Akufo-Addo government is seeking to privatize the factory which has been rotting away after the NPP took overpower. The same government which has been sloganeering ‘one district, one factory,’ is seeking private investors for the factory because it claims the previous government did not make provision for raw materials.

But as former President Mahama reveals, the abandoning of the factory is deliberate because the NPP government says putting it into work is not a priority.