Gov’t to revamp Juapong Textiles - Ablakwa

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, on Monday said the Juapong Textiles Factory would soon be revamped.

Addressing workers of the factory, he said electricity had been restored to the factory and would be maintained.

He gave the assurance that salary arrears of workers would be cleared by next week, and the factory would soon see private investment and improvement in productivity.

The North Tongu MP said the factory was not harnessing its full potentials, and disclosed that private companies from the Netherlands and China would soon visit the facility ahead of investments in a public-private partnership.

He made these disclosures in reaction to media reports last week that 1, 400 of the factory’s workers had been laid off due to the on-going power crisis, and that it owed a staggering debt of GH? 20 million to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

Mr Ablakwa described the salary arrears as an “unfortunate development,” and gave the assurance that they would be settled by next week, adding that the restored electricity supply would not be disconnected.

He said he had a “strong conviction” that the most important industry in the constituency would not be shut down.

“We are going to do everything in our power, not only to keep the factory opened but strengthened, expand it and make it more viable”, he said.

Mr John Akowuah, Chairman of the company's Interim Management Committee said the textile factory’s debt was not as huge as reported, but was rather GH? 1.9 million, and workers were not laid off as reported.

He said they were asked to suspend work temporarily due to the power crisis, adding that electricity had now been restored following a meeting on the issue at the Flagstaff House, but the salaries of junior and senior staff had not been paid for five and six months respectively.

The Chairman explained that of a monthly target of 650,000 yards of grey baft, the factory was reaching 350,000 yards per month, and the under-productivity was in turn making it difficult to settle its electricity bill along the schedule of payment arranged with ECG.