Former Chief Executive of Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), Gilbert Iddi, says the authority cannot ascertain whether or not Asongtaba Cottage Industry has paid any money into the guinea fowl joint venture.

SADA claimed it entered into a joint venture with Asongtaba Cottage Industry and Exchange Programme to produce and market guinea fowls.

When controversy about the guinea fowl project came up last year, SADA explained the investment was a joint venture in which the private company owned majority shares.

But, Gilbert Iddi, who had left office almost a year after the joint venture company was formed said he did not know whether or not Asongtaba Cottage Industry and Exchange Programme contributed any amount.

Joy News' Manasseh Azure Awuni reported that in December 2012, SADA entered into a joint venture with the Asongtaba Cottage and Exchange Programme to commercialize the production of guinea fowls in the SADA Zone.

The resultant joint venture company formed was named, SADA Asongtaba Guinea Fowl Production and Marketing Company Limited.

According to information at the Registrar General’s Department, the two directors of the company were former CEO of SADA, Gilbert Seidu Iddi who represented SADA, and Roland Agambire, CEO of the AGAMS Group for the Asongtaba.

Information at the registrar General’s Department indicated that SADA contributed 12 million Ghana Cedis to the joint venture, while Asongtaba contributed 15 million Ghana Cedis.

 Asongtaba was the majority shareholder with 56% shares, while SADA owned minority shares of 44%. But, Gilbert Iddi said SADA contributed a total of 15 million Ghana Cedis to the joint venture.

"The 15 million Ghana Cedis was paid, three million Ghana Cedis of it was actually for the mobilization of out-growers who supported those facilities that the out-growers needed. The three million Ghana Cedis was not for buying shares", Gilbert Iddi insisted.

Gilbert Iddi was SADA’s CEO at the time the joint venture was entered into. He remained the CEO for almost a year afterwards, but he said he did not know whether Asongtaba paid their contribution of the 15 million Ghana Cedis.

"Asongtaba also invested 15 million in the project. They were to pay by cash [but] I wouldn't know [whether they paid it or not]", he noted.

According to the role-out plan of the company, commercial guinea fowl production was supposed to have started last year. But, when Joy News visited the Northern region and Upper West region, the structures for the guinea fowl production were still under construction.

The contractors had left the sites at the time of our visit. The only complete structure was the one in the Upper East region. This structure was already in existence before the joint venture company came into being. It was owned and operated by Asongtaba before the company entered into a joint venture with SADA.

Our investigations, however, revealed that the company was paid by GYEEDA to train 2000 youth in guinea fowl rearing before it entered into the joint venture with SADA.

When asked last year about the youth in guinea fowl rearing project under GYEEDA, the executive director of the Asongtaba Cottage Industry and Exchange Programme, Henry Kanga said "they still had not approved on it to release funds for the project. So, as and when they did that then we would roll it out. So, as we speak, we haven't commenced that project".

However, when confronted with a document indicating the payment schedule for the amount of  1,745,000 Ghana Cedis cheque in December 24, 2010 by GYEEDA to Asongtaba for 2000 people to be trained in guinea fowl rearing module from 2009-2013, Henry Kanga noted that the comapny was ready to commence the training for beneficiaries as soon as the list was made available.

"we don't want to run them at the same time and then we may end up having a little bit of problem. But, we want to take time and then implement them one after the other. If we receive the list of beneficiaries right now, we will start in June straight away and I am sure we are going to get the list because they were working on it", he indicated.

Meanwhile, attempts to get Asongtaba to respond as to whether or not they contributed any amount into the joint venture with SADA have failed.