Dr Gilbert Kwapong, former Executive Director of Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), has denied ever being directed by the former Chief Executive (CE) of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, to shorten agrochemicals testing.
He said the committee that approved Lithovit Foliar Fertiliser, as well as other agrochemicals and machines, was made up of highly qualified and very knowledgeable Scientists.
Although he doesn’t know the criteria for appointing members on the Committee for Testing Chemicals and Machinery (CTCM) under CRIG, Dr Kwapong said he had trust in their professionalism and qualities.
Dr Kwapong was testifying as 8th Defence Witness (DW8) in the trial of Dr Kwabena Opuni and others, at an Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh.
Dr Kwapong’s claim was a direct response to a question asked by Samuel Codjoe, Counsel for Dr. Opuni that “was there any point in time during your tenure as the Executive Director of CRIG, did you receive such directive from the then CE of COCOBOD”. He informed the court that lithovit was not the only agrochemical that was certified by the committee and renewed by him.
Meanwhile, his predecessor and witness in the case, Dr. F.M Amoah, had told the court in his evidence that Dr. Opuni called all Scientists at CRIG when he assumed office and asked them to shorten the testing period.
The witness also stated that prior to appearing before the transition committee on cocoa, PW3, Dr. Adu Ampomah, had engaged him twice.
Excerpts of cross examination
Q. Dr. Anim Kwapong, PW1 Dr. Amoah, your predecessor and successor, in his evidence in court, said to the effect that first accused, called all scientists at CRIG when he assumed office and asked them to shorten the testing period, are you aware of this directive?
A. My Lord, I’m not aware.
Q. Were you at any point in time, during your tenure as the Executive Director of CRIG given any such directive by first accused with respect to testing of fertilizers?
A. My Lord, I was not given any such directive.
Q. In your tenure, as the Executive Director of CRIG, did you in your capacity renew certificate of any other fertilizer, chemicals and or fungicides in addition to lithovit?
A. My Lord, I did renew certificates for several agrochemicals and machines. The agrochemicals included lithovit.
Q. What was the procedure or criteria, which was used in the renewal of these other agrochemicals and machines?
A. My Lord, certificate holders wishing to renew their expired certificates will have to make a formal request to CRIG. Once this request has been made, the certificate holders are requested to pay the requisite fees. Once these fees have been paid, the renewal process is initiated. Prior to the commencement of the year, scientists go to the field to collect data on all agrochemicals and machines in active use in the field.
The data collected include survey data and the survey is conducted with farmers and other agrochemical users as respondents. Some questions asked these respondents include their observations on the use of the chemicals and machines, reactions or whatever they experienced in the use and handling of the product. For agrochemicals, they are also made to respond to question on efficacy.
In addition to interviewing or interacting with farmers, they also pick samples of the agrochemicals for testing at CRIG.
With all these data collected, an annual report is written on the outcome of the surveys conducted. The name of the report is the CODAPEC Evaluation Report. Based on this report, the Executive Director, having previously had information on the payment of fees, goes ahead to sign renewed certificates brought to his desk by the Committee for testing of chemicals and machines.
In summary, the CTCMC after conducting field and collecting data goes ahead to issue renewal certificates, these certificates are brought to the desk of the executive director for his signature.
Q. Dr. Anim Kwapong, you see the procedure you just described to this court, with respect to the renewal process, can you inform this court whether lithovit before its renewal was subjected to this procedure?
A. My Lord, all agrochemicals and machines being used or actively being used in the field, data is collected on all of them, all of them underlined, and therefore, no one single machine or chemical would be left out.
Q. I showed you Exhibit H, which is the report of the Adu Ampomah Committee, did you have any meeting with Dr. Adu-Ampomah, PW3, concerning lithovit other than when you appeared before the committee?
A. My Lord, I recalled two meetings apart from the meeting that produced this proceedings, I cannot recall that date but it was February 2017 there about. I was in a meeting with other scientists from CRIG, I recollect that at that meeting, Dr. William Mensah was present in addition to Dr. Adu-Ampomah. The chemicals discussed included lithovit. The other meeting I had with him was at his office, this time we had CID investigators for company, I was interrogated on that day by the CID.
Q. Can you tell us what was discussed at the first meeting between yourself, Dr. William Mensah and others in including Adu-Ampomah with respect to lithovit?
A. My Lord I can’t recall the details of that meeting.
Q. What about the second meeting with the police CID?
A. My Lord I was interrogated on the signing of certificates for approved agrochemicals and machines, and specifically on the renewal of certificates. After the interrogation, I was requested to write a statement for the CID.
Q. In CRIG, during your time as the Executive Director, you had a scientist by name Jerome Dogbatse at the Soil Science Division, do you remember this person?
A. My Lord, I do
Q. According to Dogbatse in his evidence before the Adu-Ampomah committee, Exhibit H, and specifically on page 360 of the proceedings, he was asked this specific question by Adu-Ampomah “you said you evaluated the product in 2016. Did you come out with a report of the field trial and his answer was that other report on the field trials come together with report on different products not on lithovit alone, are you aware of this?
A. My Lord, the evaluation being referred to on page 360 of Exhibit H is the CODAPEC Evaluation Report, the report that I have just described. The year in question, 2016, is the 2015/2016 CODAPEC Evaluation Report, which was submitted to me by the committee for testing of chemicals and machines. My Lord, I wrote in my statement to the CID on how the data collected is handled and used. I also submitted a copy of the 2015/2016 CODAPEC Evaluation Report to EOCO.
Q. Who were the members of the CTCM?
A. My Lord, two names come to mind, the first one is Mr. Andrews Yaw Akrofi and the second is Dr. Richard Adu Acheampong.
Q. Who appointed the committee members and what was the criteria in their appointment
A. My Lord, the committee existed before I was transferred from the CRIG substation at Afoso to Tafo. My Lord, I don’t know when they were appointed and I also don’t know who appointed them. My Lord, I have no idea about the criteria used for their appointment.
Q. But at least you knew the qualifications or competences of these committee members as the executive director, is it
A. My Lord, all the members of the CTCM are highly qualified and very knowledgeable scientists and trusted in their professionalism and I believe, based on the qualities I saw or observed in these scientists, they were entrusted the position on the committee.
Judge: examination of DW 8 adjourned to 4th of December, 2023.
