News:
June 6, 2020
Member of Parliament for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abbrem, Samuel Atta Mills has said the reason why government is failing to revamp and operationalise the commissioned Komenda Sugar Factory in his constituency by the previous government is the “fear of not getting credit for it”.
According to him the current government has left the sugar factory unattended to but moved to Ekumfi to build a pineapple factory because for the first time they have captured the seat in that constituency.
“If they could have avoided using terminal three airport they would have done that because, everybody was complaining that the old terminal was not good enough, they did not even commission it they did a little bit of inspection boom they started using it, what a shame”.
He emphasized that there should be continuity of projects anytime there is a change of government, “we should not play games with Ghanaians.
“If they could have avoided using terminal three they would have done that because everybody was complaining that the old terminal was not good enough they did not even commission it they did a little bit of inspection then boom they started using it what a shame we should have continuity the government comes you continue where the other person left off; do not play games with the Ghanaian people”.
In an interview as to whether there is anything new in the answers given by the Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kwadow Kyremantey on ensuring that the Komenda sugar factory becomes operational, with his earlier question and recent one this week, he said,e “I was not impressed with the answers given by the Minister, the assurance he gave Parliament that April 30th the factory would be operational never happened. And added that last November when they heard we were going to demonstrate they brought a so-called strategic investor to take over, he never came back”.
He pointed out that it emerged that the strategic investor was not given a contract, as it turns out cabinet had not given approval, “why is it that approval was not sought?”
Again they talk about sugar policy, “did we have pineapple policy in producing pineapple juice but Ekumfi juice factory has been set up, they are playing a political game, we have six months to elections when is the contract going to be signed?”
Mr. Samuel Mills was worried that as a country we spent over six hundred million dollars to import sugar whiles other land log countries like Burkina Faso, Mail and Niger import sugar that passes through Ghana, whiles we can operationalise the sugar factory we have.
And expressed the view that if even it produces over two hundred million dollars worth of sugar it creates direct and indirect jobs with seven thousand people employed it is a lot of job and cooperative farmers would benefit.
Rather the fishing industry is being killed at the same time the farming industry is being destroyed, he lamented.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com