Constructed on the occasion of Ghana’s 50th Anniversary to salute the man who is officially recognized as the one who brought cocoa into the country, the chocolate factory which was earmarked to employ 2000 workers is rotting away.
The building which was started under the erstwhile John Agyekum Kufour administration is at the roofing stage but work has stalled due to the lack of funds to complete it.
The metallic frames of the roofing of the building are all rusting away due to constant exposure to elements of the weather.
Situated closer to the first ever cocoa plantation by Tetteh Quarshie in Mampong in the Akwapim South District of the Eastern Region, the factory was put up with the sole aim of processing chocolate for export to the International market.
Chocolates from the factory were to be marked as souvenirs and tagged as ones from the original home of cocoa when exported abroad.
This intention by the Kufour administration is however yet to materialize as the structure to have housed the machines for the production of the souvenir chocolate is yet to be completed seven years after its commencement.
The structure now employs various wild animals and other reptiles instead of the 2000 Ghanaians who are earmarked to be gainfully employed when the factory opens.
The offspring of the snakes and other poisonous animals also use the forecourt of the building as a play ground with lizards nodding continuously on the weakened walls to record the times and seasons which have passed since sod was cut amidst fanfare for the commencement of the factory.
The presence of these animals have however not stopped some unknown persons residing around the facility from using the factory as a place of convenience.
The structure, according to Adom FM’s Captain Smart who visited the facility has been left to rot because Cocobod has been unable to raise an amount of GHC40,000 for its completion.
As if by design, similar problems exist at the cocoa museum closer to the factory which is housing Tetteh Quarshie’s artefacts.
Managers of the museum say they need GHC 4,200 to repair leaking roofs to stop the flooding of part of the facility anytime the contents of a cloudy sky is released.
Officials of utility companies have also disconnected water and electricity to the facility because of a GHC 70.00 and GHC 150.00 debt owed the water and electricity companies respectively.
Interestingly, Cocobod which was in the news in recent times for paying GHC70,000 as monthly salary to its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) have refused to help settle the debt nor complete the factory.
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