Partner govt to make ‘One district, One factory’ a reality - AGI members urged
Members of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) have been urged to reposition themselves to partner the government to bring the much anticipated “One District, One Factory” policy to fruition.
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The Director of Finance and Administration of AGI, Mr Nathaniel Quarcoopome, urged members of the association to hold themselves in readiness to take advantage of the opportunities that will come with the policy.
He made the call at the maiden meeting of the members of the Metal and Roofing Sheet sector of the AGI in Accra on Thursday.
Concept
The government aims at using the one-district, one-factory policy to spread industrialisation across the country.
It is the intention of the government to partner the private sector in the implementation of its flagship industrialisation policy.
Benefits
Mr Quarcoopome said partnering the government would provide the necessary insurance cover for investors and other participants along the supply chain to ameliorate their business risks and make them more attractive to financial service providers, particularly lenders.
He said another objective of the policy was to reduce the cost of doing business by providing shared industry resources and revenues.
Besides reducing business overheads of individual enterprises, there would be the adherence to best corporate governance practices, a crucial element in ensuring the success of small-scale businesses.
The third key objective is to provide market linkages and access, as well as create demand for the products that would be manufactured by the district-located industries.
This would guarantee sales revenue, which is crucial for business viability and access to finance.
Criteria
Speaking to the Daily Graphic later, Mr Quarcoopome said the concept, when implemented, had the ability to transform economic activities in the districts.
He said for instance that it would create significant employment in a particular district that a factory is located.
The meeting
The Chairman of the Metal and Roofing Sheets sector of the AGI, Mr Kwabena Adjare Danquah, said the meeting was also to educate its members on how to make good use of the one- district, one factory concept.
He stated that the sector was committed and well-positioned to push the country’s industrialisation agenda because it held huge prospects for the economy
Mr Danquah said the government had given the go-ahead for the policy to be a collaboration between the public and private sectors.
He added that the private sector would, however, provide the investment.