Government under pressure to take control of Ghana Consolidated Diamonds
The youth of Akwatia are preparing to submit a petition to the government of Ghana to consider taking over the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds Ltd (GCDL), popularly known as Akwatia Diamonds from the JOSPONG GROUP after the private firm failed to fully pay for the cost of the only diamond mining company in the country.
The youth believe that if the government takes over the firm and operates it, it could create jobs for thousands of youth in Akwatia and surrounding towns and attract interested investors.
A member of the organizing committee of the youth in Akwatia, Robert Bosompim in an interview indicated that should government take over Ghana Consolidated Diamonds and manage it, it would solve the massive unemployment rate in the area and across the country. He indicated that graduate unemployment could also be tackled.
So far a meager sum of $3.2 million out of a purchase price of $17 million has been paid to the government for the sale of Company to JOSPONG group.
Sources say, even though the company is yet to fully pay for the cost of the purchasing the firm it has long been operating the company secretly.
The sale of Great Consolidated Diamonds has raised concerns among the general public who claim that due process was not followed.
It will be recalled that at the official launch of the new enterprise in August 2011, the then Vice-President, John Dramani Mahama who later became president and now former president of Ghana said the commencement of business by the new company “marks another milestone in the progress of the nation towards the enhancement of the living standards of our people, through the creation of jobs, socio-economic development, and the establishment of a peaceful and harmonious environment.”
Mahama, who launched the Company, said it was gratifying to know that the company would invest over $100 million in a five-year multi-phase programme to achieve its immediate objective of providing jobs for 2,000 people and ultimately 50,000 people directly or indirectly.
He said the decision to divest the GDC stemmed from the fact that the operations of the company proved to be unsustainable and as such could not pay its workers and its debtors. He assured Ghanaians that the commencement of operations of the Company was a strong attestation of the government’s commitment to invest in its own people and create jobs which would have a rippling effect in alleviating poverty and improving the standard of living for a better Ghana. He said GCDL intended to establish an integrated diamond mining and diamond processing industry and would bring on board a management team and consultants with in-depth expertise, knowledge and skills in business, finance and community development.
He said he was convinced that the new company would exploit the mineral resources for the improvement of the economy and for the transformation of Akwatia into an industrial hub of the Eastern Region, adding that the new company would reclaim over 40,000 hectors of land and convert it into large tracts of farm lands for commercial farming involving plantation of citrus, oil palm and cocoa, livestock, forestation of reclaimed lands.
It has however, been over six years now and none of these promises made to invest $100 million to revive the company and employ 2500 direct workers and 5000 indirect workers have materialized. The roads are still in deplorable state and all the workers have been fired.
By Kwabena Adu Koranteng