Joseph Cudjoe, a former investment manager at COCOBOD and Member of Parliament, has vehemently contested claims made by the Food and Agriculture Minister, Bryan Acheampong, regarding the origin of Ghana’s innovative cocoa financing model. Mr. Acheampong asserted that he was the architect of the model, a claim that Mr. Cudjoe has categorized as misleading and has called for a retraction to uphold the integrity of public office. Mr. Cudjoe insists that records at both COCOBOD and the Economic Management Team (EMT) contradict Mr. Acheampong’s assertions, indicating that Mr. Acheampong, then Minister of Agriculture, actively opposed the model during its development.
Mr. Cudjoe’s statement delves into the specifics of the situation, highlighting the resistance faced by COCOBOD’s Chief Executive, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, and his deputy in charge of Finance and Administration due to Mr. Acheampong’s lack of approval for the new financing model. He recalls personally intervening to encourage the Chief Executive, emphasizing the stark and memorable nature of Mr. Acheampong’s opposition. This paints a picture of internal disagreement and hurdles overcome in the process of implementing the new model, directly contradicting the narrative presented by Mr. Acheampong.
Further bolstering his argument, Mr. Cudjoe traces his personal involvement in the establishment of the Ghana Commodities Exchange back to 2002, when he served as a consultant and shareholder in Commodities Clearing House. He posits that the groundwork for the new financing model, which moved away from the traditional reliance on syndicated loans for cocoa purchases, was laid long before Mr. Acheampong’s involvement. By the time the then-Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presented the government’s policy to Parliament to establish the Exchange in 2019, the shift away from syndicated loans was already well underway, a testament to collective efforts within the NPP government. He credits the entire NPP government, including Mr. Ofori-Atta, Mr. Aidoo and other key figures, for contributing to this significant achievement.
While acknowledging that Mr. Acheampong eventually presented the new model to Cabinet, Mr. Cudjoe suggests that this was done out of obligation rather than genuine support. He portrays Mr. Acheampong’s presentation to the Cabinet as a reluctant act, performed under duress and contradicting his actual stance on the new model. He then argues that any difficulty faced during the Cabinet presentation stemmed from Mr. Acheampong’s own lack of conviction in the model he was presenting. This further underscores the disconnect between Mr. Acheampong’s claim of authorship and his alleged opposition to the very model he claims to have created.
Mr. Cudjoe’s statement serves as a call for accountability and truthfulness among public officials. He emphasizes that credibility and integrity are earned, not commanded, and urges political leaders to maintain consistency in their public pronouncements. His pointed request for a retraction from Mr. Acheampong highlights the importance of accurate representation of events and the potential damage to public trust caused by misleading claims.
In concluding his statement, Mr. Cudjoe reiterates his position that the new cocoa financing model should be recognized as an achievement of the entire NPP government under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo and Bawumia. He asserts that this achievement was a collective effort, downplaying Mr. Acheampong’s individual role and emphasizing the contributions of numerous individuals within the government, effectively rejecting the Minister’s claim of sole ownership of the idea. This serves as a strong rebuttal, framed within a broader call for integrity and accurate representation of events within the political sphere.
