The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday inaugurated a 16million dollar Weddi Africa Tomato processing factory at Domfete in the Berekum west District of the Bono Region.
The project which is under the government’s flagship programme, 1D1F, would go a long way to add value to raw tomato produced in the area as well as create jobs for the people especially the teeming youth.
The factory, a wholly Ghanaian owned company has installed capacity to process 40,000 metric tonnes fresh tomato per annum.
The company has established a 2,400 acre farm and also spearheaded the establishment of Tomato Out Grower Farmers Association in the Tano North and Berekum West districts with 2,000 registered farmers from the Ahafo and Bono Regions respectively.
A view of the factory
President Akufo-Addo was informed that the factory would create about 186 direct jobs, with more than 3,000 indirect job opportunities in the Berekum West District and other surrounding communities.
The President said the government was committed to supporting private sector operators like Weddi Africa Limited to position themselves to become globally competitive and thereby also take advantage of market opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which Secretariat has been established in Accra.
According to the President government has established an institutional mechanism to provide strategic support and assistance to the domestic private sector operating at the district level.
He commended the promoters of Weddi Africa Limited for establishing such a modern facility in the Bono Region among others.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, BEREKUM
