The Upper East Regional Campaign Team of Dr. Bryan Acheampong has dismissed allegations made by former Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) in the region that the former Minister for Food and Agriculture deliberately delayed the distribution of fertilisers meant for farmers under the government’s Dry Spell Relief Project.
Addressing a press conference in Bolgatanga on Friday, the Upper East Regional Campaign Coordinator for Dr. Acheampong, Maxwell Aburiya, said the claims by the former government appointees were misleading and an attempt to shift blame for their own failures in managing the final phase of the fertiliser distribution at the district level.
According to Mr. Aburiya, the former MDCEs’ assertions that Dr. Acheampong deliberately delayed fertilisers to influence political outcomes were “incredible and misleading.” He explained that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, under Dr. Acheampong’s leadership, had acted swiftly and transparently in response to a national agricultural crisis caused by prolonged dry spells in 2024.
“Dr. Acheampong cannot, and must not, be blamed for delays or lapses that occurred at the district level. His role was to ensure procurement, dispatch, and oversight — and that, he did with excellence,” Aburiya stressed.
He said the Dry Spell Relief Project, launched in mid-2024, was a “data-driven, compassionate intervention” designed to protect livelihoods, stabilize food prices, and preserve national food security at a time when nearly a million farmers nationwide were affected by crop failures.
Outlining the facts, Mr. Aburiya stated that over 2.1 million bags of fertiliser were procured and dispatched to 225 districts across the country after emergency procurement protocols were approved by the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank in August 2024. Distribution began in October and reached hundreds of communities by mid-November.
“Here in the Upper East Region, fertilisers were delivered through official channels — the District Agricultural Offices and the Assemblies — not through party offices or political agents,” he clarified.
He acknowledged that there were logistical challenges during the rollout but said those were already recognized by the Ministry, which issued a revised operational directive to improve coordination in late November 2024.
The campaign coordinator alleged that some of the former MDCEs had political motives for their recent press conference, claiming that certain individuals “chose not to distribute the second consignment of fertilisers because doing so would have undermined their political interests.”
On allegations of hoarding, Mr. Aburiya said Dr. Acheampong’s earlier remarks were not meant to malign anyone but to express concern over complaints from farmers who did not receive inputs in time. He called for unity within the party and urged the former appointees to focus on strengthening local agricultural systems rather than spreading propaganda.
“Dr. Acheampong is a symbol of unity. He responded only to the false narrative that he deliberately delayed distribution to sabotage the 2024 elections — a claim that is not only false but disrespectful to the hardworking farmers who benefited from his leadership,” he said.
Mr. Aburiya further noted that the success of the fertiliser programme was evident in improved crop yields this year, adding that Ghana had avoided a potential food crisis thanks to the timely interventions championed by Dr. Acheampong.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Bolgatanga
