The Komenda Sugar Factory will be inaugurated by the end of the year following retooling and rehabilitation of the facility by government.
The factory became embroiled in lots of controversies after it was inaugurated and shut down a month into production in 2016, due to what officials explained at the time was the unavailability of raw materials,
Officials of the company said they had carried out two test runs successfully and explained that the factory was ready to move into production.
They explained that, currently the factory had produced 12. 5metric tonnes of unrefined brown sugar after the test run.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, gave the hint of the inauguration of the factory when he paid a courtesy call on members of the Komenda Traditional Council as part of his two-day tour to the Central Region.
He later inspected progress of work on the factory to ascertain the next line of action with respect to the inauguration of the facility.
He expressed his commitment towards seeing the bouncing back of the factory to its full production capacity.
“We are determined to ensure that there is quality work done at the factory before we commission it for production,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo explained that the visit was part of his tour to inspect the progress of work on projects being undertaken by his administration.
He was accompanied by the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Ntim, Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen; Minister of Transport, KwakuOfori-Asiamah; Central Regional Minister, Mrs Justina Marigold Assan; Minister of Local Government, Dan Botweand Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
The acting President of the Komenda Traditional Council, Nana Kwahin V, in his address, commended the President for the implementation of initiatives geared towards the nation’s industrialisation drive including the Komenda Sugar Factory.
“With what we are witnessing, I can tell you that great things are going on over there,” he said.
He commended the government for initiating an agenda to ensure the construction of the road linking Komenda and others towards roads in the area.
The President later paid a courtesy call on the members of the Edina Traditional Council before inspecting progress of work on the Elmina Fishing Harbour.
Nana Kwadwo Conduah VI, Paramount Chief of Elmina, in his remarks, commended the government for the construction of a fishing harbour at Elmina, saying, “We have been appealing for the construction of a fishing harbour in this area for decades but the appeal only came to light under this administration”.
He also expressed appreciation of the chiefs and people of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) municipality for measures being put in place to ensure the operationalisation of the Komenda Sugar Factory.
The factory, he explained, would provide job opportunities for residents within the municipality, saying, “The factory will not only benefit the people of Komenda but all of us”.
He appealed to the President for the provision of a bus for the Edinaman Senior High School in order to promote.
President Akufo-Addo, in his response, reiterated his commitment towards the promotion of the country’s industrialisation agenda.
He also expressed his commitment to improving the fisheries sector to create opportunities for people living in the various fishing communities.
FROM DAVID O. YARBOI-TETTEH, KOMENDA
