Citizen Watch takes on government over 1D1F in Volta region

The Citizen Watch Ghana, a think tank organization has expressed deep worries over government’s inability to establish a single factory under the 1D1F program in the Volta Region.

“We can’t understand why the government and the 1D1F coordinating unit have abandoned the Volta region, although the industry potentials in the region are huge”, said Mr Elikem Agbenyega, Coordinator for Citizen Watch Ghana.

He said, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo normally visits the Ekumfi Juice factory as well as other factories in other regions….adding that why is the President finding it difficult to find the Volta region exciting as it equally has local amenities as compare to other regions.

According to Mr Agbenyega, the construction of a sweet potato factory in Tsito has been halted for sometime now, even as there is huge sweet potato cultivation underway.

He said the region proud it’s self with commodities such as avocado, cocoa, ginger, lemon grass, cassava among but have been exempted from the “national cake”, adding that it is critical that the Volta region must be the next focus as it equally has the potentials like the Central, Eastern among other regions.

According to Mr Agbenyega, the government must provide credit support for the private sector through the Exim Bank Ghana or direct credit from the government through the Ministry of Finance for the construction of these factories in the region. This, he said, would create massive jobs for the youths and the out-growers in the region.

He expressed the need for the government to provide subsidy for product or produce under the 1D1F program so they become more competitive on both local and international market.

He also called on the government to do the needful by constructing road networks in the Districts which would lead to these factories.

Citizen Watch Ghana understands that 18 factories have been accredited so far, and additional 50 are expected to be accredited, and this should bring to almost 70, the 1D1F projects.

The government has indicated that there will be a pineapple processing factory in the Ekumfi District, a pineapple and orange processing factory in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) municipality, a cassava starch processing factory in the Fanteakwa District.

There would also be a cashew processing factory in Tema, a fruit processing factory in the West Akim District, a shea butter processing factory in the Accra metropolis, an avocado processing factory in Ningo-Prampram and the cultivation and processing of sweet potato into bread, chips and biscuit in Gomoa West.

In the manufacturing and distribution of pharmaceuticals, three factories have been marked for the Nsawam-Adoagyiri municipality, the Accra metropolis and the Suhum District.

There will also be an agricultural inputs manufacturing plant in the Tema metropolis, garment factory in Accra and a tile and brick production factory at Tanoso in the Brong Ahafo Region.