Government initiates industrial reform programme

Takoradi, Oct. 6, GNA - The Government has initiated a new industrial reform programme to boost the economy through industrial growth, Madam Sophia Horner-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister said on Monday.

She was opening a day's regional Workshop on the Rural Enterprises Development Programme organised by the Ministry of Trade and Industries (MOTI) for Regional Heads of Departments, District Officers of Business Advisory Centres and representatives of financial institutions.

Madam Horner-Sam said the Export-Oriented Industrialisation strategy of the programme would focus primarily on agro-processing and other manufacturing activities, involving mass mobilisation of rural communities and other vulnerable groups.

She said the second strategy would be a comprehensive import-substitution programme targeted at producing locally, 70 percent of all non-petroleum government imports as well as 50 percent of all processed foods and agricultural products imported by individuals and companies.

Madam Horner-Sam said the implementation of these strategies would be undertaken through a number of programmes including the Rural Enterprises Development under which district level projects would be identified and promoted as a means of accelerating economic development in rural communities.

She said the programme was an attempt to deal with severe poverty and under-development of rural communities by providing help to develop new sustainable, diversified and enterprising rural economies and communities.

Madam Horner-Sam said while previous attempts at rural economic revitalisation focused primarily on the provision of infrastructure, the REDP focuses on commercially viable business development initiatives to generate sustainable and accelerated economic development for the rural communities.

She said investment opportunities, abundant in the agricultural sector particularly in the cultivation and processing of vegetables, cassava and oil palm in the region should be a priority project. Madam Horner-Sam said salt processing should also be considered seriously as well as sugarcane production for refined sugar and its by-products.

Mr Yaw Nyarko-Mensah, Director of Small and Medium Enterprise Development at the Ministry of Trade and Industries and President's Special Initiatives, said under the REDP, all 110 district assemblies would be assisted to develop three commercially viable, flagship projects, which would generate a total of 330 business enterprises in the rural communities over a three-year period.