1D1F cassava processing factory left to rot, taken over by weed smokers

A cassava processing factory built by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta region has, since its commissioning in August 2023, been abandoned and left un-operational, effectively defeating its intended purpose.

The NPP, in its 2016 electioneering campaign, promised, among other things, to build a factory in each district nationwide in a bid to industrialize the country.

Municipal Chief Executive for Ketu South, Maxwell Kofi Lugudor, at the commissioning, claimed the cassava processing factory was fully operational and a manifestation of the government’s commitment to fulfilling its promises to the masses.

But almost a year down the line, no cassava processing activity has been witnessed at the factory.

A visit by this reporter to the factory, situated on a six-acre plot of land at Gbedzekope near Agbozume, saw the building itself left at the mercy of the weather, with the roofs and wire meshes covering the windows ripping apart.

The processing machines and other equipment, acquired at the expense of the taxpayer, were also abandoned and rusting away with no maintenance and no security arrangements in place to protect the factory.

Weed-smoking gangs have taken advantage of the situation by pitching camp at the factory, making it a sight for sore eyes.

As concerns are being raised about this development, calls for the authorities to remedy the situation have also grown louder, but unfortunately, these calls and appeals from the residents and cassava farmers seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

This development brings into question the rationale behind spending the nation’s scarce resources on projects which eventually become white elephants, taking a toll on the national purse.

Many are also of the view that the much-touted and highly publicized project, which was test-run on the day of commissioning with a display of raw material (cassava) processed into gari in the full glare of guests and residents, may have been staged and only meant to throw dust in the eyes of the people.