Dr Apraku reacts to one district one factory feasibility claims

Former NEPAD and Regional Integration Minister in the erstwhile President Kufuor’s administration, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku has denied making comments to the effect that implementing the 1 District 1 Factory promise by the incoming government will be a challenge.

The former minister was quoted as saying that an Akufo Addo’s government will require a lot of effort and considerable time to make the project a reality.

“We’ll do our very best to achieve most of our promises, most of them are very realistic. You talk about the “$1m per constituency the money is already in the budget, it’s just setting up a committee or a group of individuals to manage the money or the resources so that is very easy to do. Perhaps one that will be challenging and might take a little bit of time to get started is the “1 district 1 factory” promise.”

He added: “Because we’re going to rely on the private sector, it means we need to mobilise international resources from international investors as well as domestic investors. We’ll provide the environment that will be so conducive and attractive such that foreigners will want invest in our country, then we’ll give the various incentives to make it easier. We’re going to push it as a very important aspect of our whole agenda for the next four years.”

But in less than 24 hours after the publication, he reacted saying “My attention has been drawn to an article on peacefmonline.com in which I am alleged to have said that the 1 District 1 Factory of the NPP government is feasible but cannot be accomplished.

I wish to state categorically that, I have been misrepresented and that the program is doable.

The Party has done a lot of background work including Identifying Viable Projects throughout the districts of Ghana.

I am therefore confident that the program is feasible and would be accomplished.

I wish to state that I have been misrepresented in that article and wish to dissociate myself from it”