A routine Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sitting descended into chaos on Monday as Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) officials struggled to explain the whereabouts of thousands of metric tonnes of state-funded rice, citing interference by unidentified party people.
The controversy centers on the Farmer Food Relief and Recovery Programme (2024), under which the government contracted Ran Logistics to distribute 134,000 metric tonnes of rice and maize – a deal valued at GH¢11.2 million.
Despite the government fulfilling its payment obligations, MoFA officials admitted they have been unable to access the commodities.
Also.read: Ahmed Shaib cuts sod for emergency block at Weija-Gbawe Municipal Hospital
The former Director of Procurement at the Ministry, Mrs. Doris Yenwaana Vaayi, dropped a bombshell when she revealed that officials were physically denied entry to the storage facility following the 2024 general elections.
“Party people denied officials access to the warehouse during our visit,” Mrs. Vaayi told the stunned Committee members.
The “party people” comment triggered an immediate firestorm. Mr. Edem Agbana, MP for Ketu North, launched a sharp interrogation, demanding to know exactly which political party the Director was referring to.
The atmosphere grew tense as the Chairperson of the Committee, Mrs. Abena Osei Asare, attempted to de-escalate the situation, leading to a direct clash with Mr. Agbana, who refused to back down until the term was clarified.
In a bid to control the damage, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. John Dumelo, stepped in to offer a different interpretation. He claimed the “party people” reference actually meant “Ghanaians” in a general sense.
According to John Dumelo, the bottleneck stems from a financial dispute between the supplier and its agent. He explained that while the Ministry of Food and Agriculture paid the supplier in full, the supplier allegedly failed to settle payments owed to the sub-contracted agent. As a result, the agent has locked up the rice in the warehouse, effectively holding it as collateral over the unpaid debt.
Mrs. Vaayi later backtracked, clarifying that “party people” referred to “other people who were not part of the contract” and the disgruntled agent.
The Ranking Member and acting Chair for the session, Mr. Samuel Atta-Mills, expressed grave concern over the standoff. He noted that the rice is a perishable state resource with a looming expiry date.
“This is disturbing,” Mr. Atta-Mills remarked, emphasizing that taxpayer-funded food cannot be allowed to rot while middlemen argue over fees.
The Committee officially summoned the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Rice Supplier, and the Agent to appear for a face-to-fa ce confrontation on Thursday.