President John Dramani Mahama has ordered a full audit into the defunct Buipe Sheanut Factory.
His call for the audit comes on the back of a suspected mismanagement by the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government.
He accused the previous administration and the management of the US$10 million agribusiness facility of squandering capital that was meant to sustain the operations of the factory.
The factory, established in 2012 through a joint venture between the Government of Ghana and Sysgate Brazil Limited, was designed to add value to sheanut products and create employment opportunities in the Savannah region, particularly for women involved in sheanut harvesting.
According to President Mahama, the Nana Addo-led administration, which took over in 2016, not only spent the factory’s capital but also sold off the stock of sheanuts that could have been processed to generate revenue.
Speaking during a courtesy call by the Ghana Cocoa, Coffee, and Sheanut Farmers Association (COCOSHE), President Mahama called for an audit to identify those responsible for the factory’s mismanagement and ensure that the culprits are held accountable.
“…The factory was running well. It had capital, it had stock of shea nut, it was processing when the change of government happened. The new administration, new management were sent to the factory. They did not only spend the capital but the stock of shea nut that they could have processed to make more money.
“They sold to another factory and collected that money and spent that one too. After spending the capital and spending the stock of raw material, there was nothing else to spend, and so the factory had to shut down and lay people off. It is an example of what not to do when you manage public resources.
“I believe that if that factory was private, it wouldn’t have been handled the way it was; it would still be running. So I agree with the secretary that we must audit that factory and identify those who are responsible for causing this financial loss to the state and bring them to book,” he stated.
