The Technical Economic Advisor in the office of the Vice President, Dr Samuel Kojo Frimpong has vehemently stated that the Nana Akufo Addo’s administration has no intention to kill local industries as purported to be by some Ghanaians.

According to him, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) does not have any bad mentality behind the local industries and for that matter, introducing the one district one factory project in the country.

He made this assertion after touring some local Industries at Asamankese, Kade, and Akwatia with some Official of Ghana Association Of Industries in the Eastern Region.

He explained that "We wouldn’t have introduced One District One Factory in the country. We are promoting 1D1F because we have the intention of helping the local industry to survive. We will do our best to support the local industry for them to be able to thrive and also create more jobs and to be able to perform, meet the challenges out there and also meet the competition out there in the market".

Dr Samuel Kwadwo Frimpong, lamented that the tour that they embarked on has to be interesting after visiting a couple of industries, small scale and larger scale businesses, saying that he is very impressed with regards to the improvement they have seen over there.

He indicated that the local industries are trying as much as possible to be able to survive and believes it's in the right direction.

He affirmed that after touring the industries they have got to know the challenges confronting them with regards to the inadequate space to operate freely but says he is sure with a little support they can foster higher.

“What the government can do to support them is that we have a couple of facilities that we use to assists them. We have what we call the MASLOC as we try to connect them to the regional MASLOC so that when it is beyond them they can take it to the nation for the needed assistance that will be given to them. We also have the small business enterprises that are helping with training and other human resource development to be able to help them” he said.

He also expressed his affections over how the factories are booming where their challenges have been made known to them and for that, reducing the taxes on importation by the government which is causing their business to help them in their production.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Daffuor, who led the entourage on his side expressed consent about the entity offering about 4,500 direct jobs with about 10,000 out growers is a lot but says they are helping in that regard.

He lauded the factories operators as a very responsible and vibrant industry which is self-sufficient in energy and that, promising to support them as a government to be able to survive.

The Regional Minister further indicated that about six hundred thousand Ghanaians works at the public sector from the thirty million Ghanaian populace where the others need to find work to do, adding that "So to see Ghanaians working within those factories is a plus".

He concluded that with regards to small factories particularly the one at Asamankese, he said, some of them will need to channel their activities through the Business Advisory Committees (BAC) within the District Assembly so that they can be supported by the NDSSI to get the small machines to increase their output.

Attached Images: The regional Minister and the management of Kade - GCDL touring the factory