President Akufo-Addo’s Industrialisation Vision is Coming Together - Herbert Krapa

Ghana's vision for industrialisation is on course and yielding very positive results.

To this end, all stakeholders must diligently deliver on their roles, duties and responsibilities to ensure the full objective of the government’s industrialisation vision is manifested.

A Deputy Minister-designate for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapa, made this known when he took his turn to be vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday.

The legal practitioner who also has expertise in development finance asserted that, "a critical assessment shows that the 10-Point Industrial Transformational Agenda of the Nana Addo led government, which is being spearheaded by the venerable Hon Alan Kyerematen is coming together" and creating opportunities for job creation and value addition.

The Agenda includes National Industrial Revitalisation Programme, One District One Factory (1D1F), Strategic Anchor Industries, Industrial Parks and Special Economic Zones and Development of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).

The rest are Export Development Programme, Enhancing Domestic Retail Infrastructure, Business Regulatory Reforms, Industrial sub-contracting exchange and Improving Public-Private sector Dialogue.

He elaborated that the One District One Factory programme for instance, had so far birthed 232 factories, out of which 76 were fully running, 107 at different stages of construction and about 49 approved to commence. The 76 alone have employed 140,000 people directly and indirectly.

According to the nominee, under the National Industrial Revitalisation Programme, substantial support has been given to viable but economically distressed companies to help them continue production.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have also received support to help them increase production, employ more staff and improve on the quality of their products and services.

The NBSSI has in that regard been transformed into the Ghana Enterprise Agency so that SMEs who contribute about 70 percent to Ghana’s GDP will be given more support and attention to grow, generate more revenue and employ more people.

Touching on Strategic Anchor Industries, the Deputy Minister Designate explained that it is a pillar of the industrial growth and transformation agenda intended to diversify the export base of the economy beyond the traditional industries.

It is for this reason, according to Mr Krapa, that the government has an agenda to create Industrial parks in each of the sixteen (16) regions in the country to boost industrialisation. Closely connected to this plan is the creation of the Special Economic Zones for non traditional industries like Agro processing, Pharmaceutical, Integrated Aluminium, Iron and Steel Industry as well as Auto mobile and Vehicle Assembly.

Others are Textiles, Garments and Apparel sector, Industrial Salt, Petrochemicals, Manufacturing of Machines and Machinery Components as well as Industrial Starch and Oil Palm Industry.

Mr. Krapa believes that these inroads have contributed to the gains that are being made in terms of the industrialisation vision of the President and the government adding that “industrialisation may not happen overnight but the building blocks are being put in place to ensure the vision sees the light of day.”

He commended the Minister, Hon Alan Kyerematen, and the staff of the Ministry for the work done towards industrialising the country and pledged to assist the Minister to achieve the “revolutionary vision of the government.”