The Ministry for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry has hit back at Michael Okyere Baafi, the Ranking Member on the Trade Committee, over his recent claims that the current government has scrapped the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative.
Mr. Baafi, who is also the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, alleged during an interview on GHOne TV that two companies have already started relocating to other countries due to the scrapping of the 1D1F policy.
“When the 1D1F policy was abolished, two companies advertised their intentions that to relocate. I can tell you in confidence that those companies have started paper works in two countries in the sub-region and they are bent of leaving this country” he told Joshua Kodjo Mensah on State of Affairs
Responding to these claims on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, the Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Sampson Ahi, fired back, asserting that it was the previous NPP government that had effectively destroyed the 1D1F policy before leaving office.
“The Previous NPP government actually destroyed 1D1F before they left office, it’s not this current government which has scrapped 1D1F. Go around and find out, how many 1D1F factories are in operation today. They have constructed the companies but they are not working because they do not have raw materials. “
According to him, many of the 1D1F factories have not been able to operate effectively because they lack the raw materials needed for production.
He cited the example of a rice processing company in Bokaso, located in the Akontombra District, which was set up under the 1D1F initiative.
“Go to Bokaso in Akontombra District, through the 1D1F, they have rice processing company there. Go and find out when they processed rice in Akontombra, because they don’t have raw materials. That’s why under this government, through ‘Feed the Industry’, we are planning to engage commercial farmers, a deliberate policy to engage to contract farming so that we can produce raw materials to feed the industries.”
Mr. Ahi also explained that the previous government left behind a debt of 130 million cedis, owed to banks that had granted facilities to beneficiary companies under 1D1F.
“Under 1D1F, they left 130 million Cedis which they were supposed to pay to banks that granted facilities to beneficiary companies, they didn’t pay that money, it’s still there so they destroyed 1D1F.”
Mr. Ahi noted that the current government is committed to revitalizing the policy and addressing its shortcomings to ensure sustainable industrial development in the country.
