Rural factories assured of gov’t support

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Antwi-Boasiako Sekyere, has assured entrepreneurs who establish their companies in the rural areas to create employment opportunities in those areas to support government.

He explained that, such enterprises contribute in opening up the rural areas for further developments and also help to raise the living standard of the people.

Mr Antwi-Boasiako gave the assurance after a working visit to the factory of Joy industries at Akwadum, a farming community in the New Juaben Municipality.

The company which produces alcoholic beverages including Joy Dadi Bitters, herbal creams and medicated soap with herbal base, provide employment for over 300 people living in the farming communities between Koforidua and Suhum in the Eastern Region.

The Regional Minister appealed to the workers of the factory to see themselves as shareholders of the factory and give off their best to ensure that, the dream of the owners of the factory to expand and employ more people could be realized.

He reminded them that in whatever they do, they should keep in mind that as long as the factory keeps producing , they would always be assured of employment till their retirement.

Briefing the media after taking the Regional Minister round the factory, the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the factory, Dr Manfred Tachie said, the factory was started as a herbal center producing some herbal creams and soap with 40 employees in 2005 , but had now expanded to include production of alcoholic beverages and a radio station and increased the number of people employed by the company to over 300.

He said due to the demand of the products of the company locally, the factory had embarked upon expansion of its structures to be able to acquire more machines to expand its production.

Mr Tachie said though the company had not started exporting its products, some people had been sending products of the company to their relations abroad and that had made the company to win some awards outside the country.

He said the company had acquired over 1,000 acres of land for the establishment of a private zoo and a first class hotel and hope to start a school next year.

The CEO said by the projection of the company, it expects to expand its employment to over 1,000 people by the end of the projects, that they have planned to do.

He said as part of the social responsibility of the company, last year, the company sponsored the rehabilitation of some part of the Eastern Regional Police Headquarters and also supported the completion of some projects at the Eastern Regional Headquarters of the Ghana National Fire Service .

He said the company also sponsored a lot of festivals in the country and is currently sponsoring a group of medical personnel to provide health care for people in remote communities.