Private sector to drive industrial parks - Alan Kyerematen

Government is working with the private sector to develop at least one major industrial park in each of the 10 regions of Ghana to complement the ‘One District, One Factory’ agenda and maximise potential for job creation, Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen has reiterated.

He explains that the ‘One District, One Factory’ initiative is focused at the district level, but the industrial parks would be designed to be located in each of the 10 regions of Ghana, all as part of the country’s industrial drive agenda.

Kyerematen said although industrial parks have become the new drive in developing economies, Ghana government’s sole strategy has been to partner the private sector to develop industrial parks.

“What you find all over the world is industrial parks that are public sector driven then government brings in anchor tenants to occupy.

“But what we are trying to do here in Ghana is for government to lend his support to the private sector to develop these parks”, he indicated.

The Trade Minister was speaking to the media during a facility tour of Dawa Industrial Park in the Greater Accra Region, being developed by LMI Holdings.

He further hinted government is developing the Greater-Kumasi Industrial City and Special Economic Zone with a capacity of 5,000 acres.

He was optimistic that when ready in 2019, that will attract both local and foreign investors to boost government’s industrial growth.

Kyerematen commended LMI Holdings for augmenting government’s effort in its developmental agenda, and assured government’s support where necessary.

He toured the Dawa residential area, the Dawa energy park and the concrete railway sleeper-steel plant.

Executive Director of LMI Holdings, Ernest Owusu-Afari thanked the minister for the support and encouragement the trade ministry has offered so far.

He seized the opportunity to announce the readiness of a 396Mega Volt Amp (MVA) power supply sub-station to be executed by Enclave Power Company, a subsidiary of LMI.

At a cost $80 million, the sub-station is expected to give industrialists a reason to invest in the company, which will become Ghana’s largest power sub-station.

He indicated that the enclave power will operate as the only privately owned power distribution utility in the country.

“We are not mentioning names yet, but a number of investors are lined up. You know, as a private business people, we would not put $80 million in this if our legs were not on something,” he stated.

Enclave power, he noted, has the license to distribute and sell power to customers within the 2,000 acre Dawa industrial enclave, which will be a mixed development of industrial, commercial and residential establishments.

The new industrial zone will provide an enclave of heavy, light and cottage industries, agro processing concerns and logistics centre that will provide support services to all entities within the zone.

It is also producing a concrete railway sleeper-steel reinforced rectangular support for rails in the country and the sub-region at large.

Dawa Industrial City is the West African sub-region’s newest and most advanced 2000 acre, multi-million master planned industrial city development, located on the Accra-Aflao road.

It consists of broad ecosystem of industrial and residential developments, all designed to position Ghana as a hub for industrial activity in West Africa.