Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbilla Dominic Nitiwul has asked for an early reopening of the Cocoa Processing Company in Takoradi after two workers heading to parliament to listen to the Finance Minister’s address to the house on the closure of the factory lost their lives in an accident Thursday July 14.

The two, who had been out of work for some 28 months, were making their way to Accra when the vehicle they were travelling on got involved in an accident.

The Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul, pleaded with the house to push for an early opening of the factory so that the two who perished in the accident would not have died in vain.

“For me, I was shocked he had mentioned to me yesterday in the afternoon that this question is coming to parliament and that the workers are so much interested in the question that they have organised themselves and that they will want to come to parliament to come and listen to the question and have an opportunity to meet the Finance Minister to resolve that particular matter. And so, I was shocked when I heard that this unfortunate incident had happened… Let me say that nothing can be comforting to these people, especially those who lost their lives, [than] if this factory were to be opened for those that are left behind, those that have been injured to get some bit of work to do after 28 months.

So, Mr Speaker, I believe that when the Finance Minister comes next week, he should be assuring the workers that COCOBOD will take steps to start supplying them with beans if not for nothing to the memory of those who have lost their lives in this struggle to get their lives back,” he stated.