Akufo-Addo’s 58 one-district-one factories’ list questioned

President Akufo-Addo’s list of 58 One-District-One Factory (1D1F), has come under severe scrutiny, following the announcement last Friday, at the President’s Media encounter inside the Jubilee House, and subsequent release.

While, some have doubted the existence of these 58 factories across the country, others have said that most of the companies on the list, had long been in existence before the Akufo-Addo government came into office in January 2017, hence cannot be part of the 1D1F list, and The Herald’s investigations of the list revealed some interesting details.

This paper discovered that, one of the companies; Volta Forest Products Limited captured in the list as part of the 1D1F, is owned by the Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu and his siblings. The company is well-known in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region.

Mr Amewu and his siblings, had inherited the wood processing company from their late father, and have been operating it for decades now.

It has one “Uncle Tom”, a senior brother to the Energy Minister, as its managing director. It is located off the Hohoe-Lolobi road in the outskirts of the municipality.

There are doubts about the number of employees the Volta Forest Products Limited currently has, but it is nowhere close to 85, including its Pakistani expatriates, as mentioned in the list.

Many are wondering how such a factory, could be part of the list from the Ministry of Special Initiative, led by Hawa Koomson, containing factories ranging from agri-goods to the production of toiletries, steel, fabrics and bottled/sachet water.

Out of the 58 companies, 22 of them can be found in the Greater Accra Region, 11 in the Eastern Region and 12 in the Ashanti Region.

The Northern, Volta, Western and Central Regions, each have two factories, while the Bono Region, has three and the Upper West Region currently having one.

The list did not also indicate the number of employments each factory has created both direct and indirect, but further and better particulars are being demanded on their specific locations in the districts, metropolitan and municipal areas, where the factories can be located, as well as the nature of government’s support in their establishment.

For instance, a Chinese company; LK International Co. Limited also known as “Motor King” based in the Tamale Municipality of the Northern Region, assembling, distributing and maintaining bicycles and tricycles, had also been in existence since 2007, therefore, can’t be named in the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives list as part of the 58 completed factories.

Another Chinese company, Sentuo Ceramic Ghana; producers of ceramic tiles and related products, has been in Ghana since 2010 and had through Sentuo Steel of China, announced its plans to open a US$80 million ceramic tiles factory in the country by December 2017.

Sentuo Steel was established in Ghana in 2010, and began operation in 2012, after acquiring the former Wahome Steel factory. The Chinese owners, hold 75 percent shares, while Ghana’s Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) holds 25 percent.

Golden Milan Limited, one of the two companies captured in the list as located in the Ningo-Prampram area of the Greater Accra Region and said to be involved in the manufacture of aluminum profiles to support the construction industry, cannot be found according to the Member of Parliament (MP) of the Ningo-Prampra Constituency; Sam Nartey George.

The other company, B5 PlusAlloys, said to be into steel and related products, has been acknowledged by Mr George, as indeed located in his Constituency, but he insists it came to the area in 2015; two years before the New Patriotic Party (NPP) came to office.

He revealed his personal efforts in 2017, to secure the land on which the company is presently located, after he became the MP for the area and doubted the nature of the support given the company as part of the 1D1F policy

In an interview with The Herald, he insisted that the Akufo-Addo government, cannot claim credit for the presence and operations of B5 Plus Alloys, because presently the same company is struggling to get the required capacity of electricity to get two of its plants working. He disclosed that the company is underperforming, because only one of its plants is in use.

He also disclosed how President Akufo-Addo, had cut sod for the construction of another company which was to manufacture fruit juice in the Ningo-Prampram area, but nothing has happened at the site where the ceremony took place.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP, was skeptical about the list of 58 factories released by the government as part of its flagship“One District One Factory” policy, and demanded the specific towns and villages where they are located, until then, he remains unconvinced.

Meanwhile, one Baba Musa, a resident of Tamale, has reacted to the list revealing his personal contact with LK International Company Limited (popularly called Motor King) located in the Tamale municipality.

In an article cited by The Herald, Mr. Musa wrote “for the records, Motor King company is a Chinese company. They started assembling tricycles and motorcycles in 2007/2008. Today Motor King company, is over 11 years old in Tamale. Everyone in Tamale and perhaps Northern region is aware of this basic fact”.

Below is Mr. Musah’s article on Motor King following the release from the government.

“Among the lists of so-called 1D1F put out by govt, please check No. 11 on that list attached.

How could Akufo-Addo and his NPP look into the eyes of the good people of Tamale and its environs and say that, LK International Company Limited (popularly called Motor King) located in Tamale, precisely close to Nyohini Dam, is part of his 1D1F initiative? This is yet another example of deliberate lies by Akufo-Addo’s govt to hoodwink unsuspecting Ghanaians as 2020 elections are approaching.

For the records, Motor King company is a Chinese company. They started assembling tricycles and motorcycles in 2007/2008. Today Motor King company is over 11 years old in Tamale. Everyone in Tamale and perhaps Northern region is aware of this basic fact.

Originally, the company’s assembling warehouse location was in Gumani near ABE Happy School complex. They operated at this Gumani location until sometime after December 2017 when they decided to relocate to their current site along Nyohini-Lamashegu road after Diamond Fm new location.

Before they moved to their current location, fire gutted parts of their original warehouse located at Gumani on Sunday 31st December 2017 at about 2:30 pm.

As a matter of fact and records, I personally purchased a motorcycle from Motor King company in August 2008 at their assembling warehouse at Gumani. These kinds of lies are unpardonable and disgraceful to say the least. The President charged Ghanaians to be citizens and not spectators.

It’s an insult to us in Tamale for President Akufo-Addo to tell us that a company that is over 11 years old is 1D1F. The people of Tamale and for that matter Ghana, deserve better than these lies. We were not told that existing factories were going to be branded as 1D1F.

I am a citizen and a native of Tamale. Ghanaians must take time to scrutinise the so-called lists of completed 1D1F put out by government”.