Moving forward with one district, one factory
The One District, One Factory concept is very crucial for Ghana’s development. For ages, this nation has been struggling for an answer to rural-urban migration which has also produced social problems such as kayayoo etc.
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When the concept of decentralisation was introduced in 1988, the district assemblies were seen as agents of development at the local level. Today, we all know that there is no development being facilitated in the districts. They sit and wait for Common Fund from the centre. Even chalk is supplied by the central government.
Nana Akufo-Addo intends to give real meaning to decentralisation through the One District, One Factory policy. The districts will become economic units, applying local raw materials and natural resources – clay, fruits, vegetables and other resources.
In fact as a necessary addition, every constituency within the district will have one million dollars per year. Our leader intends to make decentralisation a strategy for poverty alleviation and job creation. Or should we go on as we are today? The answer is no.
Studies in global economies have shown that in most developing countries transition from being dependent on agriculture and other primary commodities to the secondary or industrial sector occurs before transitioning into the tertiary or services sector.
The position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) leader today is as follows: While there are many exceptions to this development trajectory for a variety of reasons, it would seem that in the case of Ghana, we have “jumped” prematurely from being an economy dependent on agriculture to become an economy driven by the services sector (of course, fuelled by massive investments in financial and telecommunication services), and have thus “skipped” the important phase of industrialisation based on agriculture.
Underdeveloped Agric sector/industrialisation
This is evident from the fact that Ghana’s agriculture still remains relatively underdeveloped, and its industrial base is also significantly weak and uncompetitive. The obvious solution, therefore, would be for Ghana to retrace its steps and focus more intensely on agriculture and revamp our agro-based industry, alongside developing the services sector.
However, countries do not industrialise by chance. Industrialisation occurs as a result of careful planning and implementation of targeted policies, programmes and projects. This will be done. Among other things, the NPP will use oil money to boost up a new era of agro-based industries. Oil for agriculture and agro-based industries is imperative. Nigeria missed it. We shall not miss it under Akufo-Addo's administration.
It is against this background that one should contextualise the recent pronouncement made by the flag bearer of the NPP that an NPP government, would promote the establishment of one factory in every district in Ghana. In my view, this is a positive policy which will help move Ghana forward.
Value addition and small-scale industries
Nana Akufo-Addo also has envisioned clearly that for ages we have spoken about value addition to our natural resources. By the development of localised factories, we shall capture whatever the leading agricultural products in an area are and process them to greater value.
The following can be easily identified, among others: Cocoa, oil palm, timber, cashew, cassava, citrus, maize, plantain, yam, vegetables, livestock and poultry. Small-scale industries in the various districts will process and package their various agricultural produce.
Small and medium industries in their multitude can be more efficacious than large ones. China, India and Malaysia have gone this pathway before, and to great industrial success.
As the system develops, a common standard in terms of processing, packaging, expiry dates, best storage techniques etc., will be provided. India is an example. The best practices will be applied from cottage industries, small-scale industries; middle-scale industries etc. and change will be seen in Ghana. People need jobs and the jobs will come.
The chicken revolution
When we consider the corn-growing areas in Ghana, there is a great potential for an integrated corn-chicken-eggs industry. The foreign chicken comes “dead” with low protein content and too much fat. Eggs are unduly expensive.
With a huge production of corn in Ejura and other areas, we can produce corn in such quantities that Ghanaians can eat the following at one-quarter the current cost – kenkey, banku, apapransa etc.
Indeed corn can be eaten in one form or other for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When food is cheap, the cost of living will fall, people will eat well, be better nourished and produce more. They will make money in their hometowns and not migrate.
The chicken revolution will result in slaughtering chicken at the right age, processing chicken and benefiting from every chicken part. Even the feathers will be applied for pillows and other products.
Systematically, Ghana shall also reach the stage where we shall hardly slaughter chicken at home. In the process, the school feeding programme will be catered for and every child shall eat one egg a day. This is not magic. This is development, and we need it.
Nana Akufo-Addo has consistently spoken of an industrial renaissance in Ghana. He intends to tap our natural resources for that purpose.
There is an emerging convergence of thought in Ghana that industrialisation is the way forward for the country to achieve economic transformation. Transformation is said to occur in the structure of an economy when there are significant changes in the relative contribution of different sectors to the performance of the economy.
The result is more production, higher income levels, increase in the level of employment and improvement in the standard of living of the people.
The Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition has the record of thinking foremost from the rural base of our nation. Prof. K.A. Busia introduced the Ministry for Rural Development as a separate Ministry with a Cabinet minister to promote rural development.
President Kufuor followed suit with the Rural Industry Development Programme later rebranded as the District Industrialisation Programme (DIP). It was designed as a comprehensive programme for rural industrialisation, involving the setting up of at least one factory in each of the administrative districts of Ghana.
Through the reactivation of the DIP every district will be supported by government, through public/private partnerships, to establish at least one major industrial project based on the natural endowment or economic potential or resources of each district. We shall never forget that when the whites invaded our continent, they came for natural resources.
Our factories require raw materials, so we need to irrigate our farms, in order to farm all year round. The answer to that is One Village, One Dam, which will be a complimentary project to One District, One Factory.
The benefits of the Akufo-Addo programme will be legion.
- Massive employment for the youth in rural and peri-urban communities.
- Improvement in standard of living in the hinterland.
- Value addition to the natural resources of each district.
- Industries will be spread all over the nation.
- We shall develop local substitutes for imported goods.
- Foreign Exchange will be saved.
- Export of Ghana-made goods.
By the Grace of God (Insha Allah), an NPP government under Nana Akufo-Addo as President will give a “new dignity” to the rural areas. Those who know how to fish best will be encouraged to improve, process, store and give value addition to the produce. Solar power generation and mini dams will spring up to provide water to assist the process.
Government policies will evolve, whereby government buildings will use bricks made with Ghana clay and roofing titles also from bricks. The clay industry will become a million dollar industry. Similar avenues will open for salt, oranges and other fruits. Vegetables need not get rotten anymore.
Nana Akufo-Addo as the Flag bearer of the NPP has a precise and concise vision that will take Ghana to the next level. I entreat and invite Ghanaians to support him massively to enable the vision of change, an agenda for jobs, creating prosperity and equal opportunity for all to be realised.