Over 60,000 to get jobs as President opens tomato factory, free zone enclave
Two of the government’s flagship programmes — One-district, One-factory (1D1F) and One-region, One-industrial park — were given additional impetus on Thursday when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo inaugurated a tomato processing factory and a free zone enclave at Doryumu in the Shai Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region.
The $23-million tomato processing factory, known as Leefound Food Stuff Ghana Limited, is under the 1D1F initiative.
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A Chinese establishment, the factory has a comprehensive production workshop, warehouses for raw materials, finished products and packaging materials and three filling production lines, all on a 60,000 square-metre plot of land.
With the capacity to employ 600 direct staff, the factory applies the double-mixing technique to mix ingredients and can produce an estimated 54,000 tonnes of tomato paste annually.
The industrial park, which is known as the Ghana Bright International Free Zone, will operate under the One-region One-industrial park policy.
The park too is a Chinese facility and can contain 100 factories, 1,000 stores, a logistic distribution centre, a villa, a wholesale mall, storage facilities, leisure and entertainment facilities, a business incubation centre, a car mall and other facilities.
Said to be the biggest in West Africa, the industrial park can generate an estimated 60,000 direct and 200,000 indirect jobs.
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Investments
President Akufo-Addo said the investments Ghana was receiving were an expression of the confidence investors had in the management and direction of the national economy.
He said the Doryumu projects had the potential to develop into a large export market for West Africa.
He said he expected the projects to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which will commence in July 2020, to extend their reach to the African market.
President Akufo-Addo unveiling the plaque to inaugurate Leefound Food Stuff Ghana Limited at Doryumu. Applauding is Mr Shi Ting Wang (left), the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana. Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO
He noted that the programme of industrial transformation, which targeted value addition to the country’s agricultural produce, was represented by the likes of Leefound Food Stuff Ghana Limited.
President Akufo-Addo expressed excitement at the establishment of the factory and the park because it was yet another example of the very strong economic relations between the governments and the people of Ghana and China.
He expressed the hope that out of the project, many more investments would come to Ghana.
The President commended the traditional leaders of the area for their support for the projects and gave an assurance that Shai Osudoku would experience massive development and transformation under his administration.
Industrial transformation
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyerematen, said just as the Chinese did with the development of rural and urban industries which had propelled them into an industrial nation, Ghana too had embarked on the same move under 1D1F, among others, to attain industrial development.
He said in 2018, Ghana imported fresh tomatoes, mainly from Burkina Faso, valued at $100 million and added that twice that amount was used in importing tomato paste, a development the government was bent on addressing.
China supports 1D1F
The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Shi Ting Wang, said the industrial park was in support of the government’s 1D1F policy.
He said the plan was to introduce 100 factories and 1,000 stores in the area.
He said China built various industrial parks and free trade zones, which were the significant driving force in its economic development.
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He gave an assurance that the Chinese government would provide favourable policies for the industrial park to flourish.
Mr Wang stated that 10 companies had so far decided to set up their operations in the free zone.