The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has maintained that a new state of the art 5 bedroom guest house was built by the John Mahama administration in the ex President’s hometown for his use.
According to COCOBOD, apart from the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) Research Station Guest House in Bole which had been renovated, the former government awarded a new contract on 18th January 2016 for the commencement of the edifice.
The Office of Former President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday November 2, dismissed claims by Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, that the ex President influenced the award of a contract to construct a guest house at Bole in the Northern Region to “enable him enjoy comfortable holidays during visits to his constituency.”
Mr Mahama’s offiice vehemently refuted the claims saying the guest house in question, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) Research Station Guest House, has been in existence since 1975, and could not possibly have been constructed during the tenure of President Mahama.
“The Office of the Former President has noted a regrettable pattern of false and inaccurate information put out by the Chief Executive of COCOBOD intended to slander the former President as a way of covering up bad management practices and decisions identified and highlighted by the NDC Minority in Parliament about the country’s cocoa sector.
But the Special Aide to the CEO of COCOBOD, Fiifi Boafo told Kasapa News that the building his boss referred to is an entirely new plush facility which also has a four bedroom house that will accommodate the driver who will chauffeur the VVIP to the facility, adding that the building couldn’t have been built in 1975 as the ex President’s office wants the public to believe.
“As we speak COCOBOD has paid over GHC3.5 million on the construction of the guest house. We may run into an amount of GHC 7.7 million as total cost of the building. Everything on this building is documented. Even as we speak apart from the GHC3.5 million paid, the contractor has submitted a certificate for another payment.”
