According to the Upper East Regional Communications Director for the NPP, Peter Ayinbisa, four factories under the government’s flagship industrialisation programme have been completed.
They are the Yorogo Leather Factory in the Bolgatanga Municipality, two shea butter processing factories in Bongo and Chiana-Paga Districts respectively and a meat processing factory in the Bawku West District. While the structures for all 4 have been completed, 3 of the said factories are yet to be fitted with the needed equipment.
The shea processing factory in Chiana-Paga, however, has been fitted with the needed equipment. The factory is however not operational because of the difficulty in getting to meet the raw material processing needs of the factory.
Mr. Ayinbisa said this when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show, Wednesday, November 30, 2022. He was speaking about the government’s commitment to boosting the country’s local productive capacity.
“There’s a factory in Chiana and that factory is ready. It is a shea factory. The Bongo one is also shea. You know we are looking at the raw materials which are available in this region. Basically, they are guinea fowls, basketry or the shea. If you look at the Chiana one, they are into shea. The superstructure is complete [and] the machines have been fixed and they have bought some shea; about 50 or 75 bags.”
“What is left is that they need more than they have as it is now … the women are picking and if they get to a certain level, they will begin production. As it is now, if they begin production and the 50 bags are finished, what would they be doing? That is the problem,” he said.
While there are two shea processing factories in the Upper East Region, Mr. Ayinbisa was cock-sure that they wouldn’t compete for raw materials.
According to Mr. Ayinbisa, for the rest of the factories, the Ministry of Trade and Industry is working to secure the machines. The delay in the arrival of the machines is due to COVID-19.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
