President Akufo-Addo has commissioned a fruits and juices factory at Ekumfi in the Central Region today.
The factory, which the government claims is an initiative under the one district, one factory policy is a wholly Ghanaian owned company, according to the President.
“A total investment of $15 million of which $10 million was a facility from Ghana Exim Bank, has been made. Presently, the production capacity of the factory is 10 tonnes of processed juice per hour, utilizing some 10,000 fruits per hour. This means that this factory requires four acres of pineapple fruits to be harvested for processing every hour,” the President said.
While commissioning the factory the President did not miss the opportunity to take a swipe at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to him, when his government started the project in August 2017, his opponents said it was a wild goose chase. “In my remarks, I appealed for the unalloyed support of every Ghanaian for the success of this project. Unfortunately, our political opponents did not heed this call, with some going as far as calling this project a hoax and a political gimmick, and with some describing it as ‘a grasscutter breeding house,” the President said.
“Nearly, three years down the line, we have confounded the Doubting Thomases, and I am very happy to be back here in Ekumfi, and, indeed, very proud to commission the Ekumfi Fruit and Juices Factory. As we can all see, this project has been well-planned and well-thought-through, with the raw materials needed for the successful implementation of this project already present, and an out-grower scheme in place”.
According to him, “the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Factory is yet another example of Government’s determination to promote the industrial transformation of our country. Government will continue to partner the private sector to establish similar modern factories, and which would be globally competitive, and take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area, that will begin trading on 1st January next year.”