Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu and head of the Assurances Committee in Parliament, has raised serious concerns over the distribution of expired rice to senior high schools across Ghana.
Ablakwa alleges that 22,000 bags of expired rice were distributed by the Free Senior High School Secretariat in February, despite knowing they were unfit for consumption.
Following a tip-off, Ablakwa claims he conducted a personal investigation revealing that the National Food Buffer Stock Company collaborated with Lamens Investments Africa Limited to repackage expired rice in Kumasi.
The rice, originally imported from India under the brand name “Moshosho,” expired in December 2023.
According to Ablakwa, the expired rice was repackaged into locally made sacks labelled “ECOWAS” and “Made in Ghana,” but suspiciously omitted an expiry date.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News on Thursday, November 14, Ablakwa disclosed that the Ashanti Regional Police Command and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) initially intercepted the rice following a tip-off.
However, he claims that orders from higher authorities overruled the intervention, leading to the rice’s release and eventual distribution to schools before test results confirmed its contamination.
“Can you believe that, before the FDA test results from Accra arrived on February 6, an instruction came from above that the expired, contaminated rice should be distributed to the schools? All 22,000 bags that the police sought to confiscate ended up in schools,” he said.
The MP further alleged that an additional 10,000 bags of expired rice were stored in a bonded warehouse in Tema.
After the incident came to light, Ablakwa claims the distributing company, Lamens Investments, admitted wrongdoing and offered to pay a fine of approximately $8,600 (GH₵100,000.)
However, he added that the company has only paid half of this fine and has since become untraceable.
According to FDA test results cited by Ablakwa, the rice showed signs of contamination, including insects and elevated acidity levels, rendering it hazardous. “Medical experts who reviewed the FDA report concluded that this rice should have been destroyed,” he noted.
In light of these findings, the MP is demanding a full investigation into the case and calling for legal action against those responsible to safeguard students’ health and ensure accountability.
