Business News of Tuesday, 5 December 2017
Source: primenewsghana.com
2017-12-05
CEO of McHammah Engineering, Ebenezer Hammah
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of McHammah Engineering, Ebenezer Hammah, has called on government to embrace indigenous technological innovations to spearhead its ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ programme.
He noted that considering Ghana’s ambition to roll out the initiative, it was therefore, appropriate for government to use indigenous technology in agriculture mechanisation.
Mr Hammah made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, on the sidelines of the 33rd National Farmer’s Day Celebration, on the theme: “Planting for Food and Jobs”.
He said this would equip local manufacturers of farm machinery, to support government’s agenda hence contributing to Ghana’s socio-economic development.
Mr Hammah noted that the McHammah Engineering as a Ghanaian owned electromechanical engineering company; their aim is ‘changing the paradigm of agriculture using Ghanaian ingenuity’.
He said his outfit used indigenous technology to manufacture agricultural implement and machinery that would help in agricultural mechanisation, and through that, they have been able to come up with a cocoa pod breaking machine.
The CEO said the machine separated the bean from the pod and could take 3000 to 5000 pods within an hour, adding that “it gives you 95 percent to 98 percent clean pod bean; without cutting the bean”.
Mr Hammah told GNA that among other innovations include; first Ghanaian made mini tractors, corn thresher and a cassava planter.
He said there was no way Ghana could grow and export excess without owing its own technology, as such, ‘it was time to produce our own pumps for our irrigation systems, mini tractors and mini combine harvesters, among others’.
He said all the innovations were geared towards helping to champion government’s agenda, and as well creating an enabling environment to make agriculture more attractive to the youth thereby creating about one million direct jobs within the manufacturing industry.
The CEO, who reiterated that in the course of producing these equipment, they would be imparting skills and knowledge to the youth, again added that “Ghana will be a spare parts hub; since we are manufacturing, it will be easier to keep the spare parts”.
Mr Hammah also called on government to set up an Agricultural Implement Factory whereby all agricultural implements and machinery the Centre can produce would not be imported.
He suggested to government to make policies that would enable mechanical engineering and agricultural mechanization students, channel their project works towards agriculture; and a Fund set up for students that would come up with agricultural innovation.
Among the products of McHammah Engineering are fruit extracting machines, conveyors, stainless steel tanks, soap processing machines, industrial blenders, filling machines, industrial furnace, powder-cereal processing machines and press machines.
