The Bio-Thermal Palm Oil Factory linked to Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, is now at the center of growing criticism in Bong County.
Dr. Yarkpawolo is the executive director for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Residents described the once-celebrated project as a “complete collapse that has delivered no visible benefit since it was dedicated in 2023.”
Fritz Morndolo, from Tobacco Farm, said, the facility has become a “symbol of disappointment and unfulfilled promises.”
“This project has collapsed in reality. What we were shown during the dedication, and what we are seeing now, are two completely different pictures. The factory is there, but it is useless,” Morndolo said.
He said, the project was widely promoted as a solution to long-standing challenges faced by palm oil farmers, but the outcome has been the opposite.
“We were told this would change our lives and improve production. Instead, nothing has changed. The suffering is still the same, because the factory is not working.”
Morndolo further claimed that the facility has remained idle with no production activity; no visible workforce, and no signs of maintenance since its handover.
“You go there and you will see nothing tangible. No machines running, no operations, nothing whatever. The place has become a ghost town. It is just a building standing without purpose.”
Morndolo also questioned the planning behind the initiative, suggesting that the project lacked the necessary structure to function beyond its public launch.
“This is what happens when projects are not properly planned. You cannot just build a facility, dedicated it, and then walked away as though nothing has happened.”
Development, Morndolo said, is supposed to continue after the jamboree following it dedicatory ceremony.
He said, the farmers have not benefited in any meaningful way and have returned to traditional processing methods following the failure of the project.
“We are backed to the same old struggle. The same hard work, the same low output, the same poverty. So, what exactly did this factory achieve?”
Morndolo described the situation as a serious disappointment for the community, saying: “It reflects a broader concern about how development projects are implemented in rural areas.”
“This is not development, but a failure. People are tired of promises that never turned into results.”
Residents have meanwhile, demanded explanations regarding the current status of the project, and why it remains inactive despite its high-profile launch.
As of press time late last night, there has been no official response from Dr. Yarkpawolo regarding the reported condition, and operation of the palm oil factory.