A former parliamentary contender for the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of purposefully undermining the operations of the Komenda Sugar Factory in the Central Region in order to please its financiers involved in sugar importation.
NPP Sugar Importers Forced Akufo-Addo To Neglect Komenda Sugar Factory – AkuokoMr Alexander Akuoku, the NDC’s parliamentary candidate for the Ngleshie-Bortianor Constituency in the Greater Accra Region in the 2020 elections, made the accusation while speaking on Accra100.5FM’s morning show, Ghana Yensom, presented by Kwame Appiah Kubi (Mr Speaker).
He claimed that the majority of those who backed the party when it was in opposition were involved in sugar imports from Brazil and India, among other countries.
According to him, the NPP’s funders were alarmed by the factory’s operations, which were set up to reduce Ghana’s sugar importation.
Since it was opened in 2016 by the then-ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by Mr John Dramani Mahama, the $35 million manufacturing factory funded by an Indian EXIM Bank facility has remained idle.
Mr Akuoko said: “The factory was revamped to revive the local production of sugar to reduce the importation of the commodity into the country but the NPP administration, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, deliberately failed to operationalise it for their people who deal in sugar importation so they will have a field day”.
Ghana imports about $300 million worth of sugar every year.
Mr Akuoko said: “As an accountant by profession, I know the big men who are behind the importation of sugar into the country”, adding: “They are aware their operations will come to halt if the factory is made fully operational in the country”.
“In view of this, the NPP financiers have been battling the operations of the laudable company from behind the scenes”, he said
