A former Information Minister Stephen Asamoah Boateng has stated that he never asked Ghanaians to eat ‘konkonte’ if they couldn’t afford to buy other food products.

The reports first emanated in 2008 after fuel price increases and increase in food products on the market under the erstwhile Kufuor administration.

Asabee as he is popularly referred to, was reported to have told Ghanaians at a press conference to eat ‘konkonte’ which was a cheaper stable if they found the prices of food products on the market expensive.

But speaking on Starr Chat Wednesday, the former Tourism Minister and Diaspora Relations told host Bola Ray that he was completely taken out of context.

According to him, he was only explaining to the journalist who asked the question at the press conference how some of them survived during the food crisis in Ghana in 1982.

“I didn’t say anything wrong, I was explaining how we survived when there was food shortage...and so I had to tell them how we survived and that was taken out of context, unfortunately.”

Konkonte is a Ghanaian dish usually eaten with a soups made from palm nut or groundnut soup. It is a simple dish made from dried and pounded Cassava.

Profile of Mr. Asamoah Boateng

The former Member of Parliament for the Mfantseman West was born on August 18, 1958 at Konongo in the Ashanti region.

He attended the Konongo Methodist Primary and the Kormantse District Assembly Middle Schools.

He obtained his first degree at the University of Ghana, Legon. He holds a Master’s degree from the Henley Management College, Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom.