The Minority Caucus of Ghana’s parliament had a serious altercation with the country’s Minister of Agric Bryan Acheampong after the two clashed at the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) where workers of the company had picketed.
A video in circulation shows the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong in a hot exchange of words with the caucus, accusing the members of urging the workers to continue their strike.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture can be heard telling the Minority Leader “You can’t do that, and you were a deputy Finance Minister and what do you know about paying people or payment that has been made?”
Some members of the Caucus could also be heard telling the Minister “You should be the last person to get angry. If you had solved it, we will not be here and so you don’t shout at us like that. It is disrespectful.”
The Minister, in turn, fumed and can be heard telling the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, “You are a leader, and you don’t bring the press to a discussion.”
It is unclear what might have instigated the scuffle.
Members of the National Food Suppliers Association are picketing at the Buffer Stock to demand the payment of their two years GH¢278 million arrears for food supplied to senior high schools across the country.
The Minister visited the disgruntled food suppliers on Thursday evening, July 6, and promised to liaise with the Ministry of Finance to have their arrears paid.
But according to the caucus, it had visited the site to have a first hand information about the ongoing payment delays.
