Obuasi Assembly to set up light industrial area
As part of its efforts to create employment opportunities for its people, the Obuasi Municipal Assembly is creating a light industrial area for artisans within the municipality at New Bakoyendi, near Obuasi.
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Sited on a 40-acre land, the light industrial area has water, electricity, drainage system and a four-kilometre tarred road to provide easy access to the place.
The enclave is being put together by the assembly through its share of the Urban Development Grants (UDG) at a cost of GH¢680,000.00.
The facility
Briefing the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Mr Julius Debrah, during a working tour to the municipality, the Municipal Chief Executive of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Mr Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, said the place could accommodate between 15,000 to 20,000 artisans and when fully operational, it would expand the business opportunities in the municipality and create more jobs for the people.
He said the enclave would be similar to the Suame Magazine in Kumasi and would serve as a one-stop shop where people could get their cars fixed and where all cars accessories would be sold.
Travelling time
Aside from the enclave creating jobs for the people within the municipality, he said it would also reduce the time people would have to spend travelling to Kumasi just to purchase some spare parts.
Already, he said the assembly had received more than 180 applications from people at the Suame Magazine who wanted to relocate to Obuasi.
Mr Agyemang Boadi said by the close of the first quarter of 2015, the enclave would be fully operational.
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Bus terminal
He said the assembly was also putting up a modern bus terminal with retail shops, a two-storey toilet facility and a filling station.
The new bus terminal would bring together all the bus stations scattered in and around Obuasi under one terminal.
The new bus terminal, which would be done in phases, is being built under a public-private partnership at a cost of GH¢4.5 million.
The first phase is expected to be completed by February 2015.
For his part, Mr Debrah commended the assembly for embarking on income generating activities that would improve the living conditions of the people.
That, he said, fell within one of the thematic areas of the ministry—the local economy development.
He said the ministry was already in consultation with some of the financial institutions and some had already agreed to support the ministry to provide affordable credits to small and medium-scale enterprises to expand their businesses and create the needed development at the grassroots level.
Support for SMEs
According to Mr Debrah, it was high time SMEs were supported to grow their businesses to create employment at the local level.
Mr Debrah was particularly impressed with some of the initiatives by assemblies in the Ashanti Region to expand the local economy and generate income for their assemblies.
The minister had earlier visited the Atwima Nwabiagya District Assembly where he inspected a market project at Abuakwa.
Mr Debrah and his two deputies, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye and Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, were on a working visit to the Ashanti Region to inspect some of the projects being undertaking by the assemblies and also rally support for the National Sanitation Day. He was accompanied by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong.