YEA denies $9m turkey berries project amid procurement concerns

The Youth Employment Agency has dismissed claims that it planned a $9 million turkey berries production project, following concerns about possible breaches of procurement procedures.

The controversy emerged after youth activist Aaron Asiedu-Antwi questioned the rationale behind allocating such a large sum to the initiative and called for clarity on whether due processes had been followed.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, he argued that projects of that scale require commitment authorisation from the Ministry of Finance, raising concerns about the figures associated with the proposal.

“When I checked on the turkey berries, the amount was $9 million, which raises concerns. If the CEO claims it wasn’t approved, that’s fair enough, but it was something that was in the pipeline. Allocating $9 million is questionable,” he said.

No approval, no funds released

In response, the YEA’s Chief Executive Officer, Malik Basintale, clarified that although a proposal had been submitted to train youth to process turkey berries into value-added products, it never received approval.

He stressed that the project was not implemented and that no funds were disbursed.

Focus on accountability

The development has drawn attention to the importance of transparency in public sector planning, particularly regarding procurement rules and financial commitments.

While the YEA insists the project never progressed beyond the proposal stage, the concerns raised highlight ongoing public demand for accountability in government-backed initiatives.