US embassy cable - 04ACCRA2141

UNCLAS ACCRA 002141 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS FOR CA/OCS/ACS/AF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CA, EAGR, ECON, ETRD 
SUBJECT: AMCIT DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN INVESTOR IN GHANA 
COTTON COMPANY IS SAFE 
 
REF: SECSTATE 222220 
 
1.  (SBU) Amcit Rasheed Nouri, country director for GhanAmer 
Farms (reftel), which is the majority owner of the Ghana 
Cotton Company (GCC), is safe after being thrown out of the 
company office by disgruntled employees.  According to Mr. 
Nouri, eleven employees of the Ghana Cotton Company 
accompanied by a union representative entered his office in 
Accra on the afternoon of October 27.  The group read a 
letter detailing employee complaints, told Mr. Nouri he had 
until noon the following day to leave the country and then 
threw Mr. Nouri out of the office and surrounding compound. 
Mr. Nouri contacted USG officials in Washington who in turn 
contacted Post's RSO.  RSO made contact with Mr.Nouri in the 
evening of the 27th and determined that he was not a hostage 
nor in immediate physical danger, provided emergency contact 
information and relayed this to Washington. 
 
2. (SBU) EconOff spoke with Mr. Nouri on the morning of 
October 28.  Mr. Nouri stated that, contrary to initial 
reports, he had not been a hostage at any time.  DCM later 
called President Kufuor's Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani and 
expressed Post's concern for Mr. Nouri's safety and hope that 
the dispute between GhanAmer Farms, GCC employees and GCC's 
former owner and primary debt holder, the parastatel 
Agriculture Development Bank (ADB), could be resolved in a 
peaceful and businesslike manner.  The Chief of Staff 
promised to speak directly with ADB's board of directors that 
day. 
 
3. (SBU) EconOffs also met with ADB CEO and board members to 
express Post's concern.  Subsequent follow-up with Mr. Nouri 
on the evening of October 28 confirmed that the workers had 
left and that the ADB board had met with him after hours in 
order to revive the dialogue between the parties.  EconOffs 
will remain in close contact with Mr. Nouri, ADB officials 
and the Chief of Staff's office to monitor negotiations. 
YATES