MRS Gifty Ohene-Konadu, the National Coordinator of the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative, has cleared what she said was a “misconception” surrounding the initiative and its implementation.
She said contrary to views that government was to build a factory in each region, the initiative was a private–sector led with support from the government.
The governing New Patriotic Party in the run-up to the 2016 general elections promised to establish a factory in each of the then 216 districts across the country though it was not clear at the time if the initiative was to be championed by the private sector.
But in her clarification, Mrs Ohene-Konadu said “Government will not build factories,” she stated, adding that “individual promoters will build and own the factories.”
The government’s role in the initiative, she explained, was to be in the background to facilitate the process.
Mrs Ohene-Konadu was speaking at a stakeholder engagement on insurance for 1D1F entities in Accra yesterday.
According to her, “the 1D1F, as a case study is synonymous with the way insurance companies operate in the country. Majority of the industry players are from the private sector,” she told the gathering.
Her comment comes on the heel of raging debate, one in Parliament on Wednesday, over government’s role in the execution of the initiative which is aimed at industrializing the country.
The engagement, on the theme “Promoting 1D1F: The Role of Insurance Industry” brought together six insurance companies and investors to deliberate on what insurance packages the insurance firms have for the investors as they venture into the Ghanaian industrialization arena.
Mr Stephen Kwame Oduro, the Managing Director of SIC Insurance Company Limited, in a statement on behalf of the pool of insurance companies that have partnered the 1D1F Secretariat, said the initiative would give all 1D1F promoters the needed security and safety for their factories, and peace of mind to focus on their core business mandate.
He said with the 1D1F initiative expected to bring about massive construction, manufacturing and processing works across the country, the industries were subject to more risk and uncertainty as the development of the factories from inception to finish involved many phases of associated risks.
The pool of insurers which include Enterprise Life, Enterprise Insurance,Vanguard Assurance, Glico Insurance, SIC Life and SIC Insurance he said “collectively see this assignment as a national call to play our role as insurers to support the vision of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”
Chairman of the occasion and Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries, Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, hoped 1D1F would change the development of the country whilst rescuing the youth who risks walking through the desert in an attempt to reach Europe.
“I strongly believe that this type of industrialisation presents enormous opportunities to transform the socio-economic landscape of our districts with ripple effects on the livelihood of the people living in the communities,” he said.
The various value chain activities of the factories will create real and sustainable jobs for the youth, Mr Jumah, a former Member of Parliament for Asokwa said.
The GIHOC, he revealed, envisaged to set up five
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
