Alan Kyerematen, Trade Minister
GOVERNMENT
SAYS it has provided resources to support business promoters to establish ‘One
District, One Factory’ projects in some 148 districts which are currently not
covered under the programme.
In
all, there are 181 1D1F projects covering 112 districts at various stages of
implementation, including 58 existing companies, 26 projects under
construction, 26 pipeline projects currently under considering by PFIs; 58
Enable Youth 1D1F projects ready for construction by the first quarter of 2020
(small scale processing facilities to be owned by youth groups and financed by
AfDB and five 1D1F common user processing facilities ready for construction by
the first quarter of 2020, and these would be owned by organized farmer groups
and funded by AfDB.
There
are also going to be eight large scale 1D1F projects to be financed by a
consortium of Chinese financial institutions, ready to commence construction by
the third quarter of 2020.
These
are contained in a press statement issued recently by the Ministry of Trade
& Industry, which reacted to recent social media reportage on some elected
1D1F projects.
The
attention of the ministry has been drawn to negative reportage on selected 1D1F
projects following the recent media encounter by the President.
The
reportage maliciously attempts to belittle the progress made by government in
facilitating the operationalization of the 1D1F initiative. The said reportage
makes reference to two companies – Unijay Garments Limited and Volta Forest
Products, as companies reported by the ministry to be 1D1F companies already in
existence or are operational.
Unijay Garments
Located
at Kumasi, it said this company, which produced garments, applied for
assistance under the 1D1F programme in July 2017, and had gone through the
required screening and qualified to receive support under the 1D1F programme.
The
company has subsequently received an amount of GH¢2.5 million from Prudential
Bank Limited as a 1D1F company, which amount has been applied as working
capital for the existing business. In addition, the company has applied for
additional GH¢10 million for an expansion programme under the same company name
which is currently being considered by the bank under the 1D1F programme.
In
the light of the above, it is difficult to understand how anybody could
reasonably object to the description of Unijay Garments Limited as an existing
1D1F company.
Volta Forest Products Company
The
Ministry continued that the above-named company, located in Hohoe in the Volta
Region, was engaged in the manufacture of wooden products. It said the company
applied for assistance under the 1D1F programme in November 2017 and had gone
through the required screening and qualified to receive support under the 1D1F
programme. The company has subsequently received an amount of GH¢1.5 million
from Prudential Bank Limited as a 1D1F company, which amount has been applied
as a working capital for the existing business.
