General News of Wednesday, 1 June 2016

Source: peacefmonline.com

Komenda sugar factory: Mahama has fulfilled CPP's dream - Pratt

Mr. Kwesi Pratt Mr. Kwesi Pratt

Kwesi Pratt has commended President John Dramani Mahama and his government for reviving the Komenda Sugar Factory.

According to Mr. Pratt, revival of the factory will help create thousands of jobs for the people of Ghana.

President John Mahama on Monday, May 30, commissioned the Komenda Sugar Factory at Komenda in the Central Region.

Over 7000 jobs are estimated to be created for Ghanaians as a result of the opening of the factory. The factory became defunct years ago.

In 2014, government partnered the private sector to revive it. The factory will produce sugar both for domestic use and export.

Speaking on Kokrokoo on Peace FM, Kwesi Pratt noted that reviving the factory has always been a part of the CPP manifesto and believed his party, the Convention People's Party (CPP), would have reinvigorated the factory if power was handed over to the party by Ghanaians.

In his view, it's only appropriate to laud the efforts by President John Mahama and his government as the Sugar Factory comes alive.

“It’s our prayer to win power to revive all the major projects that we sold and collapsed. How can I as a CPP member sit here and say that what we say we will do when we get power, someone has done it and so it’s not good? How can I say that? How can I possibly say that?”

Mr. Pratt further addressed critics of President Mahama for commissioning the factory.

He wondered how the critics expected the factory to immediately go on large-scale production.

To him, every factory begins on a small scale before it becomes full-blown but he strongly held that the important thing is that what President Mahama has done will help the nation to make giant strides.

“I don’t believe this will solve our sugar import problem completely. I don’t believe this will solve the unemployment problem in Ghana. It cannot but it is one step forward. A Chinese saying goes that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step," he stated.