10 government officials demanding bribes from me – American investor alleges

An American businessman and Managing Director of Alafei Foods Company Limited, Claude D Convisser, has alleged that between eight to ten government officials are demanding bribes from him.

According to him, many businesses in Ghana do not survive for a long term because they spend huge sums of money to pay bribes before they get assistance to develop.

He added that the slow growth of Ghana’s economy is linked to the continuous demand of bribes by people in authority from potential investors.

“We haven’t paid bribes and I must say I’m a very stubborn investor even though you have people in government who keep asking how much is in for them. Eight to ten officials in this administration have demanded bribes from me,” Mr Convisser said Friday on the Morning Starr.

Mr Convisser added that a secretary of a parliamentary candidate "keeps demanding bribe from me.”

The American investor who has lived in the country for the past six and half years indicated that, Ghana would have been the lead business country in West Africa but for the continuous demand for bribe.

Background

The American investor, Claude Convisser applied to set up the factory in Zugu, a community in the Yendi Municipality.

His company, Alafei Foods Limited is seeking to set up a soya and vegetable factory under the 1D1F to meet the protein and vitamin needs of the Ghana School Feeding Program in the Northern region.

POP diesel, an oil company in the United States which will give funding to Alafei Foods Limited has also given all of its ownership share of its Africa branch, POP diesel Africa to the Alafei Food farmers irrevocable Trust.

This means that the company if set up in Zugu, will employ over 30,000 farmers and supply to the GSFP at a lower cost.

However, his efforts have been met with several frustrations as authorities are not willing to grant him a letter of intent to enable him secure funds from his sponsors.

The new policy of the GSFP envisions rapid national socio-economic development achieved through a coordinated, integrated and accountable national school feeding program delivering improved nutrition for disadvantaged school children, reliable market for local farmers, effective local catering service and enhanced local income.

However, children between the age of 6-36 months in northern Ghana are malnourished and at greater risk of failing to meet the infant feeding standards recommended by WHO given that, less than 50% of them are on a minimum acceptable diet according to a research by Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING).