The Member of Parliament (MP) representing Bole Bamboi, Yussif Sulemana, has accused the government of causing financial losses to the state through its decision to import semi-processed sugar for refining at the Komenda Sugar Factory in the Central Region.

In 2016, Parliament had approved a substantial amount of $24 million for the cultivation of sugarcane, with the intention of providing sufficient raw materials for the factory. However, the government failed to utilize these funds effectively, leading to the factory becoming non-functional.

After the Minister for Trade and Industry, KT Hammond, addressed questions concerning the factory in Parliament, Sulemana spoke to journalists, expressing his concerns about the missed opportunities for the nation's youth due to the government's inaction.

He pointed out that the government's choice to import semi-processed sugar instead of supporting local production is detrimental to the country's economy. The approved facility's funds were intended to be drawn down for the benefit of sugarcane farmers, but the government allegedly refused to do so, resulting in a lack of necessary resources for cultivation.

By relying on imports rather than promoting domestic production, the government has denied citizens potential livelihoods and the employment opportunities that the functional factory could have created for them. Sulemana emphasized that this decision adversely affects the people and their aspirations for better job prospects and economic growth.

“Today, you are importing semi-processed sugar. Isn’t that a loss for us? Parliament approved the facility and asked that you should draw down the funds. You arrogantly refused to draw down the money. Today, we are unable to give the needed resources for the farmers to be able to cultivate the sugarcane,” he said.

“So, what you are now doing is to import semi-processed sugar. What you are doing is denying the people a source of livelihood. What you are doing is that you are denying people the needed jobs that we had wanted to create for them,” he underscored.