Local industries ready for ‘One district, One factory’ policy

The Chairperson of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ashanti and BrongAhafo, Mrs. Afua Gyamfua Owusu Achaw, has said local industries are positioning themselves to explore opportunities that will be created with the implementation of the government’s flagship industrial programme of ‘One District, One Factory,’ which is expected to begin soon.

She noted that even though the modalities of implementation of the programme has not been made public yet, she said plans to partner with the private sector, as has been repeated severally, have encouraged local industries to prepare to be involved with the programme.

However, she said local industries will need the support of traditional authorities and landowners, to facilitate easy access and acquisition of land to undertake various projects, particularly within the Ashanti and BrongAhafo regions.

Against this backdrop, she reiterated the call by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for chiefs in the Region to make land available for industrial growth.

She indicated that a number of chiefs have already been touched and given the assurance to make lands available for industrial development.

She was optimistic that the industrial fund set up by the AGI, when finally operationalized, will contribute to address the challenge of access to finance, which for ages has been a major setback to the growth of businesses, in the country.

Mrs. Gyamfua Owusu Achaw, made these remarks in an interview while responding to the position as as the mouthpiece of local industries, AGI, in Ashanti and B/A, on the recent incident which led to the banning of Angel Group Companies, producers of ‘Adonko Bitters,’ by the Food and Drugs Board (FDA).

She also called for a paradigm shift in the attitude of workers towards local businesses.

She stated that the success of local industries, especially as the new government policy comes into being, will depend on the attitude of workers towards wholly Ghanaian owned businesses.

Taking into account the approach by the FDA in the matter involving the producers of ‘Adonko Bitters,’ she asked for circumspection and the need for the FDA to include the AGI in investigating any alleged case of wrong doing with its members.

She explained that in this era of unhealthy competition the least misinformation can lead to the collapse of businesses, following the findings of the AGI that some of the things said about the product were not true.

“In this era of unhealthy competition, if you don’t actually take care you may collapse a business that has not faulted in a way that should merit such a sanction.”

The AGI Chair added that “some people can even pass off products of other companies just to collapse the companies,” in a period of so much unhealthy competition that if one is not tactful some of the decisions taken may not inure to the benefit of industry.

She, however, commended the FDA for lifting the ban on the products and encouraged industries to also strive to improve the quality of their products, to complement government’s effort to promote made in Ghana products.