The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the pineapple processing factory set to be the first of factories to be commissioned by the Akufo-Addo-led government under the ‘One-District, One-Factory’ policy was established in 2013 under the government of John Dramani Mahama. According to the party’s Ekumfi Constituency branch, a GH¢1.2 million funding was secured from the Japanese government and the Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM) for the project.

“The project was launched in 2013 by the then Central Regional Minister – Hon Dr Samuel Sarpong ably assisted by the then Deputy Minister of MoTI – Hon Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, officials of CEDECOM, officials of the Japanese Government, the then Ekumfi MP-Hon Abeiku Crentsil, Ekumfi Nananom and the District Assembly officials,” a 12-bullet release on Wednesday said.

This comes two days ahead of sod-cutting for the pineapple processing factory, which will kick start an industrialization policy to get a factory in each district across Ghana.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is scheduled to do the sod-cutting in the presence of the chiefs and people of Ekumfi in the Central Region. But a release by the NDC said the current government is just going to continue the project and “they should be humble and truthful enough to acknowledge same and credit the government of [Former] President John Dramani Mahama for his unprecedented visionary leadership which saw many infrastructural and industrial projects springing up all over the country”.

The NDC pointed out that feasibility study had been done on the project and just as it was time for sod-cutting, the government was changed. They said the project has already benefited a lot of farmers in the district, for the sake of evidence.