One district, one factory is feasible

Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, the 2016 Standardbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in June this year proposed a one district, one factory policy when he paid a campaign visit to the Central Region. He made this policy public at Ajumako Bisease in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam District.

Nana Akufo Addo stated that the NPP government led by him would facilitate the establishment of a factory in each District. His statement has received mixed reactions from the public. While some commentators say that the 1D1F policy is feasible, others think it is not but over ambitious.

As a development student and researcher, after hearing Nana Addo speak about the 1D1F policy, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I was happy because of my affiliation with the Polytechnic and as a lead advocate for Technical Universities in Cape Coast and other poor regions of Ghana. I, therefore, took my time to analyse his statement.

After my analysis into the 1D1F policy, I was convinced that with leadership (visionary), dedication and commitment, the policy is feasible and we must applaud Nana Akufo Addo for that bold pronouncement.

The 1D1F POLICY

Ghana's economy has been a primary one (Guggisberg economy). We have been preaching about the need to add value to our primary products in order to move away from the Guggisberg economy to a secondary one. We must understand that development is a process but not an event. It takes a bold attempt to pursue development. We will continue to be producers of raw materials if we fail to take bold decisions.

My interactions with people have revealed to me that, people say 1D1F policy is not feasible because of their understanding of the word 'factory'. In order to understand the term factory and to appreciate the policy, I want us to note two definitions from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a factory is defined as:

1. a building or group of buildings with facilities for the manufacture of goods.

2. any place producing a uniform product, without concern for individuality:

They call it a law school, but it's just a degree factory.

From the definitions above, a facility to extract tomato paste or orange juice qualifies as a factory. For example, if this is done in the Offinso and Asebu Abura Asebu Kwamankese Districts respectively, we have solved farmers problems of post harvest loses which have been the most difficult headache of our farmers.

Oil Palm Processing factory or Soap making factory for Adansi North District will give hope to our palm oil plantation farmers including my family members at Adansi Asokwa who sometimes store palm oil for months with a hope of good price which never comes because of lack of competition for the commodity among purchasers.

A factory could be small, medium or large scale. Nana Addo didn't give a detailed programme of the 1D1F. It is therefore fair to assume that with the said policy we can have either of the three depending on the resources of a particular district. Again, to facilitate the establishment of a factory in each district to my understanding means that, funding and ownership could be public, private or the combination of both (public private partnership).

1D1F AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) claims that the economy is ready for takeoff. Our takeoff is industrialization so what is the doubt about the D1F1 policy. We must support this great vision of Nana Addo. It must be noted that, the government's vision of converting Polytechnics to Technical Universities aims at producing highly skilled professionals in the area of technical and vocational education. To train highly skilled professionals means that, we want to produce innovators, technologists and technicians.

The Universities and Second Cycle institutions train engineers and artisans respectively. If we don't industrialize now, what will become of products from the Technical Universities. Do we want to add to the unemployment rate?. Already because of the type of economy we have, we have destroyed the structure of technical education.

Inadequate job placement (industries/factories) for those at the base means that, each graduate wants to progress to become an engineer. The structure of technical education is like a pyramid. At the apex is engineers (University trained) and artisans at the bottom (graduates from Second Cycle Technical Schools).

In between is Technologists and Technicians (Polytechnic trained). For example in proper jurisdictions, 1 Engineer is equal to 5 Technologists, 25 Technicians and 500 Artisans. 1D1F is a good policy and it can save technical education so it must be supported.

1D1F and unemployment

Statistics have shown that, the rising rate of graduate unemployment in Ghana needs a holistic programme to arrest it. According to the Institute of Social Science and Economic Research (ISSER, 2015), there are over 200,000 unemployed graduates in Ghana. Currently, we do not have any programme to reduce graduate unemployment.

1D1F policy seeks to expand the economy. This will create opportunities for the youth. The linkages thereon will boost employment. For example, for every factory, there will be suppliers, workers at the management level, workers to operate the machines etc.

With this, it is prudent for a developing nation like us to have a well thought policy to industrialise. We must therefore invest resources on research to proffer development alternatives and to suggest ways to industrialize rather than our usual attitude of 'it is not possible'. With commitment and dedication, nothing is impossible.

I have travelled across the length and breadth of Ghana. Raw materials for either small, medium or large scale factory abound. Human resource for these industries will not be a problem. The challenge is got to do with ownership.

With leadership, commitment and proper incentives to the private sector, I do not see why the 1D1F policy is not feasible. In that, with prudent fiscal management of government resources and the creation of enabling environment for the private sector to thrive, the 1D1F policy is feasible.

The writer is an MPhil Development Studies Student at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Cape Coast and a Senior Broadcast Journalist at Eagle FM, Cape Coast Polytechnic.