The former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributor(CBOD), Mr Senyo Hosi has criticized the analytical capacity of the Ministry of Food And Agriculture (MOFA), describing it as mediocre.
He accused the Ministry of engaging in arm-chair analysis, clothed in a culture of ‘knowing everything’ without adequate consultations and collaborations with industry players which will basically take the country nowhere.
“I find it most unfortunate that despite being led by a PhD Agric-economist, Hon Akoto Afriyie , the analytical capacity of the MOFA is one of mediocrity.”
Mt Hosi
Mr Hosi further accused the Ministry of ignoring several correspondences, following a proposal by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Sagre Bambangi , for a collaboration to help achieve a constructive example of investment success in rice production. He indicated that despite the presence of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in practically every district in the country, it is the Minister’s methodology that the distribution of fertilizer equals a given quantum of employment.
“Since when did the distribution of fertilizer become a yardstick for acquiring employment data on a major policy intervention as the planting for food and jobs? And I believe these bags of fertilizers that the Minister adopted as the basis for the Ministry’s employment data included the bags of fertilizer, he found being smuggled out of the country on unmanned donkeys he could only watch and do nothing about.”
Mr Hosi
In a statement issued and signed by Mr Hosi , he describe as inept, the manner in which the Ministry has been run, combined with the ‘hubris’ and ‘intransigence’ from the Minister’s office. Mr Hosi noted that the ministry is not concerned about the commercial and social viability of investements in the sector as it seem to express and could have ben more responsible by not ignoring communication from one of the biggest rice investors in the country.
His statement was in response to a press release that the Ministry issued on October 30, in response to earlier arguments he had made at a recently held Agribusiness dialogue.
However, he encouraged the Minister to audit the production, yield, investment, and subsidy deployment information which his outfit publishes.
Call On Sector Minister To Resign
Mr Hosi, who is also a finance and economic and policy analyst, called on the Agriculture Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, to resign in order to save the sector from an impending collapse.
He lamented the Agriculture Minister’s lack of Concern in his several plea to the ministry regarding the state of the agricultural sector of the country.
Mr Hosi dared the Minister to “tell the people of Ghana, which single major subsector he has effectively de-risked, restructured and nurtured to promote sustainable investment, and make Ghana a leader in that space.“
He described the tenure of the Minister as failed based on the Ministry’s failure to structure the agricultural industry through policy to make it sustainably bankable and attractive for investment, to achieve the transformation the country seek.
He further denounced the leadership of the Ministry under Dr Akoto, saying, “I therefore do not find your Ministry under the current leadership an honest policy partner in the development of my business to warrant any submission of my investment details for your consideration.
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