Francis Addai Nimo
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate hopeful, Hon. Francis Addai Nimo has called the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuo-Addo to review its campaign promises made in the build up to the last general election to make them achievable.
“The One District One Factory and One Village One Dam all can be reviewed so to make it achievable”, he suggested in an interview MyNewsGh.com monitored on Kumasi-based Nhyira FM’s ‘Kro Yimu Nsem’ political talkshow.
According to the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong in the Ashanti Region, as a civil engineer, government can establish one big factory or construct a big dam to serve more communities to cut down cost of government expenditure on these projects
“It does not necessarily means every district should benefit from a single dam or factory. We can have one big dam to serve two or more communities or have a factory which can also serve two or more districts”, Hon. Addai Nimo suggested.
“One Dam One District and One District One Factory does not mean every community is going to benefit”, Hon. Francis Addai Nimo revealed.
Government’s ‘One-District-One-Factory’ programme is aimed at establishing, at least, one factory or enterprise in each of the 216 districts of Ghana as a means of creating economic growth poles that would accelerate the development of those areas and create jobs for the teeming youth.
The policy aims to transform the structure of the economy from one dependent on production and export of raw materials to a value-added industrialised economy, driven primarily by the private sector.
President Akufo-Addo has said the initiative would propel the industrialisation agenda of his government at the district levels, as well as drive linkages to agriculture and other natural resources of the country.
He said there could be no future prosperity for the people in the short, medium or long term “if we continue to maintain economic structures that are dependent on the production and export of raw materials.”
The President observed that unless Ghana took to the path of industrialisation with the goal of adding significant value to its primary products like cocoa, gold and timber, “we cannot create the necessary numbers of high-paying jobs that will enhance the living standards of the mass of our people. Raw material producing economies do not create prosperity for the masses.”
“We must add value to these resources…and we must industrialise,” he added.
