Open your eyes, you’ll see our factories – Akufo-Addo tells NDC MPs

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has taken a swipe at critics of his government, particularly in the fulfilment of some of his major promises like the One District One Factory (1D1F) Initiative.

On that flagship industrial transformation policy, President Akufo-Addo said 232 projects are at various stages of implementation.

Addressing the Eighth Parliament in his first state-of-the-nation address to members on Tuesday, March 9, the president said his government will continue the agenda of rapid industrialisation “with the aim of transforming the structure of the Ghanaian economy from one dependent on production/export of raw materials to a value-added industrialised economy”.

He said the Initiative has already seen 76 firms operating as 1D1F companies while 112 including five medium-sized agro-processing factories and 63 common user facilities are under construction.

“Open your eyes [and] you will see them,” he jabbed the Minority Caucus, whose members jeered him at the mention of the programme in his address.

The promise to set up a factory in each of the then 216 districts in the country was made prior to the 2016 elections.

The promise was seen as unachievable.

But government set up the 1D1F Secretariat under the coordination of Gifty Ohene-Konadu to oversee the revamping of some old factories and the construction of new ones.

It is entirely private sector-led, government has reiterated on several occasions.

But many have expressed doubt and disappointment at the initiative, wondering where some of the factories are situated.

But President Akufo-Addo said many of them are functioning.

He cited how automobile manufacturing firms are already producing a wide range of products for the Ghanaian and sub-regional market.

“We have succeeded in attracting major global vehicle manufacturers under the Automotive Development Policy to set up in Ghana.”

He said so far Volkswagen (VW) has produced 1,167 vehicles, Sinotruk has produced 276 vehicles and Kantanka has produced 400 vehicles.

“Japanese conglomerate Nissan has also started the assembly of vehicles in the country.”