The Bole Bamboi MP, Yusif Sulemana, has criticised the government’s flagship program ‘One District One Factory’ (1D1F), introduced to increase industrialisation, for its poor implementation.
Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews on Monday, he explained that despite the promise to build factories in all districts across the country, the policy was mainly implemented in the Greater Accra Region, followed by the Ashanti and Central Regions.
“So, all other regions have been left out. So, if it was a well-thought-through project, I don’t think its implementation would have become very difficult. In any case, today, the 1D1F that we see are existing factories that were even supported under the NDC administration,” Mr Sulemana said.
“I disagree with those who said that the 1D1F project is well-thought-through. What is it about that is well thought through when you cannot implement it?” Mr Sulemana quizzed.
The One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative was launched by President Akufo-Addo to change the nature of Ghana’s economy from one which is dependent on the import and export of raw materials to one focused on manufacturing, value addition and export of processed goods.
The policy was also to support the private sector to establish at least one industrial enterprise in each of the administrative districts of the country.
The concept of the One District One Factory (1D1F), among other initiatives of government, is designed to transform the industrial landscape of the country and build the capacities of local enterprises to produce quality products and services for both domestic and foreign markets.
But Mr Sulemana believes that for the industrialisation drive to truly succeed, there is a need to focus on select factories with specific raw materials that can grow and also reduce the importation of said product.
The Bole Bamboi MP told the host Evans Mensah that it is more beneficial to find one sustainable raw material and build factories around it than to build factories that fail to deliver.
“If we are concentrated on producing rice, today, we would have gotten a good story to tell. What the NDC government will do is select some of these products, and some of these crops, and concentrate on them. We’re not going to just say that we’re going to establish factories in every district.”
“If we were to concentrate on ensuring that we can produce a lot of, let’s say, today, we would have been reducing our import base when it comes to poultry. If we were to say that, look, we will revamp the Komenda sugar factory, and go to the northern sector to establish another sugar factory.
“If we were to concentrate our efforts on doing that, today, we would have been reducing the import of sugar,” he added.
Source: myjoyonline.com
