A few weeks ago, I published an explosive piece declaring Ghana’s seed associations nothing more than elaborate Ponzi schemes. Critics attacked with raw emotion, demanding I view these matters through a “neutral lens.” But new evidence has only strengthened my conviction.
This week, I toured a cutting-edge seed certification facility boasting prestigious ISTA accreditation. When I asked the Director about construction and equipment costs, his answer was stunning: “Less than $500,000 for everything you see here.”
That revelation hit like a thunderbolt. Here stands a world-class facility – state-of-the-art equipment, international certification, the works – built for under half a million dollars. Meanwhile, Ghana’s seed association burned through $350,000 in less than two years with absolutely nothing to show for it.
But the rot runs deeper.

This same association somehow received double funding on a government project – pocketing GHS 6 million instead of the allocated GHS 3 million. Where did that extra money go? Straight into the pockets of corrupt administrators and their cronies.
The current state of affairs speaks volumes about this systematic looting. Today, these same puppets who inherited this financial wreckage can’t even afford to maintain the association’s website and email domain.

Nine years of irreplaceable data – gone. Vanished because they can’t scrape together funds for basic digital infrastructure.
The math is damning: A legitimate, internationally accredited facility costs $500,000.

Ghana’s seed association spent $350,000 and built nothing. They received double government funding and have nothing to show for it. Now they can’t pay for a website.
If this isn’t a Ponzi scheme masquerading as agricultural development, then what is it?

Source

Dr. Amos Rutherford Azinu

CEO, Legacy Crop Improvement Center