NPP youth in Chiana-Paga lock up MoFA office over alleged fertiliser bias

Tensions reached a boiling point in the Chiana-Paga constituency of the Upper East Region as more than a hundred members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) youth wing locked up the District Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) office.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, 13 August 2024.

The protest was triggered by claims that NPP-affiliated farmers are being unfairly excluded from the government's Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) 2.0 fertiliser distribution initiative, a programme crucial for supporting local agriculture.

The aggrieved youth alleged that members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are the primary beneficiaries of the PFJ 2.0 programme, which they argue is a blatant disregard for the NPP’s own supporters, especially during the sensitive political campaign season.

Kassim Mubashir Mandela, the NPP Constituency Youth Organiser leading the charge, voiced his frustration over the situation in an interview.

“It is a party that forms a government, and at this crucial moment, how can a government initiative be skewed against its own people? Now, those who are benefiting are NDC members. They are claiming it is coming from the NDC’s parliamentary candidate or from the younger brother of the NDC's Flagbearer, John Mahama. So, we had no choice but to lock the office to ensure transparency prevails,” Mr. Mandela stated.

The youth organiser emphasised that the office would remain locked until the national executives of the NPP address their grievances.

The protesters are adamant that the office will not reopen until a fair and transparent distribution of PFJ 2.0 fertilisers is ensured, reflecting their belief that the current situation undermines the party's interests and the government's own agricultural agenda.