I am compelled to request Hon Bryan Acheampong to retract his public claim to ownership of the idea behind the new model for financing cocoa purchases in Ghana. I think this phenomenon which has become popular described as “A FEW MOMENTS LATER” has become so rampant that making all of us suffer credibility, honesty and integrity deficit. We should resolve to be consistently truthful to reverse this negative image we keep creating for ourselves. On a lighter note, NDC leaders are in the comfortable lead and I entreat NPP leaders not to overtake them.
Folks, it is known and on record at COCOBOD and EMT that Hon Bryan Acheampong, then Minister of Agric, did not support the new model of financing cocoa. Before presentation of the new model at EMT, I had received complains of frustrations from the CEO, Boahen Aidoo and his Deputy Chief Executive F&A that their Minister isn’t approving the new financing model. As a result, I went to meet the Chief Executive in his office to encourage him. There is a lot I cannot say here unless challenged to a public debate on this matter.
Nonetheless, suffice to say that I was a consultant and a co-developer and a listed shareholder of Commodities Clearing House (CCH) in all its developmental activities leading to the establishment of Ghana Commodities Exchange. This started in 2002 thereabout. So in 2019, when Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presented our Government’s financial policy to Parliament to establish the Commodities exchange, I knew that this whole debate of paying interest through syndication loans was about coming to an end.
NPP Government has done so much in bringing the Cocoa syndicated loans financing model to an end. If Hon Isaac Osei and his F&A Dr William Mensah as well as Hon Boahen Aidoo and his F&A Ray Ankrah have been quiet on laying the foundation for this achievement, then Bryan should let it pass simply as NPP Government achievement. He should be the last to attempt to take credit for this because his resistance to the implementation of the new Cocoa financing model is too loud and fresh.
People who felt the pain when Bryan was not supporting the model are talking in the background. This small writeup is intended to tease an apology from Bryan to appease some unseen faces going public to correct the wrong impression being created in the video.
Having highlighted the 90% untrue statement in the video, the 10% truth however is that when Bryan failed as the then Agric Minister to participate in the EMT discussions of the new model, he was COMPELLED AGAINST HIS POSITION to present the new model to Cabinet. If he found it tough in Cabinet, it was all because he didn’t believe in the new model.
As leaders, we should learn not to contradict ourselves. Consistency pays to save our faces. You cannot command integrity. You can only earn it through consistency of being truthful to yourself first and then to others including the public. So let the new model remain the achievement of the NPP Government led by Nana Akufo-Addo and Bawumia in which we all got opportunity to serve.
Mr Joseph Cudjoe
Fmr Investment Manager,
Ghana Cocoa Board
Fmr MP, Effia
Fmr EMT Member
