Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare
The government is taking steps to resurrect the 35-million-US-dollar Komenda Sugar Factory.
The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, says the edifice, which forms part of the Komenda Sugar Development Company, will be reopened in an expedited timeline.
She made this known during a working visit to Komenda to assess the factory, which has been neglected for some eight years.
To honor President John Dramani Mahama’s promise of prioritizing production in the country over importation, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare visited the abandoned Komenda Sugar Factory.
The facility, which was rehabilitated and commissioned in 2016 after closing down post-Nkrumah regime, was restarted for a short period in 2016 but had to be closed down due to a material shortage—a matter the Trade Minister says will be resolved through locally sourced raw materials.
“We will start planting sugarcane here to make sugar and ethanol here at the factory,” she added.
However, the minister expressed disappointment over parts of the abandoned factory that had been ruined due to the neglect.
Also, during the tour of the facility, the Central Regional Minister, Ekow Panin Okyere, noted that a special high-yielding variety of sugarcane will be planted in the area to boost productivity.
The Member of Parliament for the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem Constituency, Samuel Atta Mills, acknowledged the potential of multiple employment opportunities the factory’s revival will bring.
He commended the prioritization of the factory, especially at a time when young people in the community have resorted to moving to other areas for greener pastures.
“Almost all our youth are outside. They are in Takoradi, Accra, or even outside the country looking for jobs while we have this factory here,” Mr. Okyere bemoaned.
Prior to inspecting the facility, the Trade Minister, Central Regional Minister, and the Member of Parliament for the area paid a courtesy call to the Omanhene of the Komenda traditional area, Okatakyie Komeh VIII.
The Paramount Chief thanked the government for prioritizing the Komenda Sugar Factory in the industrialization of Ghana.
The Komenda Sugar Development Company, when fully operational, will run as a 24-hour factory, running three shifts, employing at least three times the expected number of workers.
Sugarcane for the factory will be planted by the government and also bought from local farms to produce sugar and ethanol.
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