Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2024 general election, John Dramani Mahama, has said his administration would establish Staple Crop Processing Zones in all 16 regions of the country if the party wins the pending polls.
The former president explained that this initiative, which forms part of the party’s industrial policy, would give the respective regions comparative advantage in manufacturing and add value to their produce.
At a policy dialogue with the Association of Ghana Industries in Accra, yesterday, former President Mahana said his administration would partner the private sector to establish industrial zones, especially for crops such as oil palm, cashew, cotton, ground nuts, cocoa, soya, cassava andshea nuts.
“We are going to take every region to see what its comparative advantage is in terms of agriculture and agro processing. We will then partner with the private sector to create industrial zone in the region to be able to absorb the agricultural products and add value to it either for domestic consumption or export.
“I don’t believe that the location of industries should be conterminous with political districts. It should be conterminous with the availability of raw materials, closeness to the port, water, power and the rest,” he explained.
The policy, former President Mahama said would be integrated into the party’s flagship economic revival programme, the 24-hour economy.
The meeting forms part of the former president’s engagement with various sector players of the economy to solicit their concerns and fuse same into the party’s manifesto.
According to the former President, many industries were producing far below capacity due to constraints such as availability of raw materials, access to credit, high utility tariffs, high taxes and access to market.
“Under the 24-hour economy policy, government will work with the private sector to address challenges that constraint their production capacity. The 24-hour economy policy will, therefore, help boost production for both domestic consumption and export while creating jobs for our teeming youth,” Mr Mahama reiterated.
In his view, considering the economic destruction superintended by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, steps to revamp the economy needed to be doubled to save the Ghanaian economy from total collapse.
“Time is not on our side, the scale of the destruction of our economy is so colossal we must more than double our efforts by working 24 hours around the clock to restore our country to where it belongs.
“It is for this reason that my team and I are not resting at all by getting prepared to turn our situation around immediately I am sworn into office on January 7, 2025, by the grace of God,” he assured.
To the AGI, the former President said: “I will be your chief advocate and ambassador. We shall travel together and promote your products together both in Ghana and abroad.”
President of the AGI, Dr Kwesi Ayim Darke, said the association was ready and willing to partner the former President and the NDC, to address the bottlenecks hampering operations of the association.
Lamenting the high cost of power industries had to contend with, Dr Darke suggested that the country took a look at the nuclear power source; though expensive, to build but cheaper in tariffs and sustainable, to the survival of businesses.
He also mentioned the macro-economic environment, cost of raw material, especially agro products for production, frustrations in the tax exemption regime and unfair trade treaties as inhibiting factors to the growth of industries.
Dr Darke suggested for the 24-hour economy vision to materialise, former President Mahama should consider commercial farming, production of specific produce to feed industry, scrutiny of Ghana’s trade treaties with other countries and continents, review of tax exemption regime and improvement of the macro-economic indicators.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI