Accra Abattoir Bounces Back

Business at the Accra Abattoir Company Limited (ABCL), which was closed down in March this year, has resumed in earnest with the slaughter of 20 cows a day.

In addition, 19 workers made up of security men, administrative and production staff, have been engaged to provide services to willing butchers whose animals are slaughtered in the night and carted to their shops at dawn.

The 30 billion cedi abattoir, sited at Tema Community 20, off the end of the Accra-Tema motorway was constructed in 1996 for the butchers association to slaughter their animals under hygienic conditions.

The butchers, however, rejected the use of the place with excuses such as its distance from town, making the abattoir a liability and incurring a debt of several billions of cedis, even after the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) had demolished their old place.

This situation compelled the shareholders, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), MASAI, The Butchers Association and the government, to close down the place, declare all the 108 workers redundant

and paid their 15 months salary arrears and other benefits to them in March, this year.

Under its new Managing Director, Mr Emmanuel M. Simpson, however, the abattoir is bouncing back to life, as all the broken down equipment have been rehabilitated and pressing debts including those of utility services have been settled.

Briefing newsmen at the abattoir on Thursday, Mr Simpson said with a skeleton staff of 19 "we are operating at 20 percent of the plant capacity and gradually we will hit the market with a large stock of meat".

He said the new management has procured enough cattle, goats and sheep and was seriously preparing towards the Christmas.

He appealed to the public and restaurant operators to patronise the company's products, "because we are making sure that we get more cattle, goats and sheep in stock, from Burkina Faso and Mali".

Mr Simpson said when in full capacity the abattoir could slaughter 480 cows daily, running two shifts.

He denied claims that the abattoir was sited at an obscure place, and explained that all over the world, abattoirs are not located in the heart of cities in view of the nature of their operations. He said the plan for the present abattoir had been on the drawing board since the First Republic.