A former District Chief Executive in the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress government says all those claiming that the proposal by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to ensure that each district in the country gets one factory is not feasible are doing so “either for political expediency or they are not telling the truth.”
The NPP presidential candidate first made the commitment while on a campaign tour to some constituencies of the Central Region last month. Doubts have since been expressed by some persons, mainly within the camp of the governing National Democratic Congress, about the feasibility of the proposal.
But, Dr Martin Luther Obeng, a former NDC DCE for Agona East in the Central Region, has told the Daily Statesman that there is nothing whatsoever on the ground to suggest that the proposal is not feasible.
“The project is doable; it is practicable,” stressed the Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai based international consulting firm, Touchstone Consulting Limited.
“The fact of the matter is that there are already structures at the local level to ensure the success of the project, provided the political will is there. We have the Rural Enterprise Programme in the districts which seeks to promote the establishment of cottage industries. That is the machinery that can be utilized to effectively ensure the success of such a project, which the country badly needs to create jobs for the teeming jobless youth,” he explained.
Dr Obeng’s position coincides with what has been expressed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Gratis Foundation, Emmanuel Asiedu, who also insists the proposal for the construction of a factory in each of the 216 districts of the country is practicable.
According to the former DCE, ensuring the success of the project means creating the enabling business environment to attract private investors to enter into partnership with the government.
He told the paper: “In the Gulf State only, with my survey as a consultant in that region, I can tell you people are ready to come, provided the state can provide effective guarantees for them to do business.”
“In the Agona East district, for instance, most of the coconuts that we consume in Accra come from there. We can therefore easily set up a factory to process them into oil and juice while thinking outside the box to see what can be done with the sheds. We need to move out of our comfort zones and see what can be done to help the nation and the people,” he stated.
According to Dr Obeng, in implementing such a proposal, what needs to be done is to look at what will help the most at the initial stages.
He explained: “For example, we import a lot of rice and sugar. So we can look at those areas first. Once we produce to end or reduce importation of these commodities, we will be getting more money to look into other areas. Let’s put in place good policies that will ensure the successful implementation of the proposal. We have the capacity to do it. I am all for it. This is not about politics; it is about business.”
<<Print>>