‘1-District, 1-Factory’ not possible in Ghana – Pelpuo

Former Minister of State in charge of Public Private Partnership Abdul Rashid Pelpuo has chided the government for making “unnecessary” promises including the siting of a factory in each of the 254 districts of the country.

“It is not possible to have it in this country,” he minced no words.

The ambitious promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to get factories scattered across the country is considered one reason it was voted into power in 2016.

But almost two years since assuming the reins of government, a factory is yet to be commissioned as most of these industrial structures are in construction stages.

The promise to have at least 50 by the end of the first year of the NPP administration has failed.

Speaking on 3FM’s Sunrise on Tuesday, Mr Rashid Pelpuo said even the siting of many factories in adjacent districts which are endowed with same raw materials may lead to lack of ready market for the end-products.

The Wa Central Member of Parliament said if a tomato factory is sited in Wa, for instance, and the same is set up in Lawra, its nearest district, “who are we going to sell them to?”

For him, there has to be detailed planning and streamlining of the policy in general.



‘Go back to the bush’

Government has set up a secretariat to consider proposals for the setting up of the factories under the programme after the policy’s launch in August, 2017.

At the last count, the Minister of Trades and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, said over 700 proposals have been received by the secretariat but there has been no proper financial plan by the bidders.

He said the policy is a private-sector dependent programme with the government providing incentives such as a five-year tax holiday.

But the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP said the government must just “admit failure and go back and do the right things”.

“If they go back into the bush and do the right thing, hurraayyyyy.”

He described some of the policies of the government as “glaringly a nuisance” and “obnoxious”.