A financier in a failed Presidential Special Initiative under the Mahama administration is demanding repayment of about GHC9 million from the government.
Boris Baidoo said the debt represents the amount he invested and a three-year accumulated interest.
The business man said he financed the Ghana Broiler Revitalization project aimed at boosting local poultry production.
He has vowed to petition President Nana Akufo-Addo after unsuccessful attempts to get the agric ministry to refund the amount he sunk into the project.
Boris Baidoo said he had to step in to pre-finance the project after the Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund (EDIF) reneged on its responsibility to finance the project.
The Ghana Broiler Revitalization project was launched in 2014 to produce at least one million birds as part of the pilot project.
It was meant to help cut down on importation of poultry products by some 40%.
According to Boris Baidoo his company was called to finance the project under a tripartite agreement which included government of Ghana and the Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana.
The government, he said was to select the farmers to take part in the project; the farmers were to produce the birds and he was to finance the project.
The total cost of the project was some GHC39million, he said with GHC21.4m going into processing plant; GHC14.7million into the production of chicken and GHC3million into out-grower apprenticeship.
Speaking to Joy News, the owner of Boris B farms and the Vertinary Services said all attempts to retrieve the amount of money he invested into the project as proven futile.
He had invested some GHC8 million into the project but only GHC2 million was paid with GHC6 million outstanding. However, he said the GHC6 million has accrued interests which has shot the amount to some GHC9 million and wants his money back. He is hoping a petition to the president through the Chief of Staff will bear fruits.
When he was asked by Myjoyonline.com if he had a contract from the previous government specifying how much he had invested, Mr Baidoo pointed to a video on his website, https://www.borisbgh.com/ as his evidence. The video has the then Deputy Agric Minister Hannah Bissiw launching the project in 2014 and giving plaudits to him as the financier.
He also cited the terms of reference for the project as basis for a valid contract.
According to him, it was not clear how much the first phase of the project was going to cost so at every step of the way the ministry wrote to him requesting for monies to be released which he obliged.
When he was asked by Joy News’ Evans Mensah what his motivation was for investing in the project, Mr Baidoo said he is a stakeholder in the poultry business and thought it was a good opportunity to help the sector.
He said he is petitioning the president to have his money refunded failure which he may consider other options.