Former President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to establish an agro-processing factory in the Guan District of the Oti Region, a move likely to spur local economies and generate employment opportunities within the area.
He said in a recent address that the factory will engage in processing agricultural produce, thereby serving to improve farmers' livelihoods through an assured market for their produce. He said the facility will serve as a critical driver of district economic development through value addition on agriculture commodities like cassava, maize, and yam.
The factory, he noted, would bring in employment for the youth and contribute to the economies of smallholder farmers who, according to him, are challenged by a lack of access to the market for their farm produce. With the processing of crops into finished goods at the facility, there will be reduced post-harvest losses and an opportunity for value addition which can be sold locally and internationally.
"This agro-processing factory will not only improve the local economy but also contribute to the diversification of the region's agricultural sector. It is a sustainable livelihood for the youth and women, who are the very important people in agriculture," he said in a community engagement in the district.
This project is expected to complement the existing agricultural initiatives within the Oti Region, which was long known for its generally fertile land and diversified farm activities. The local leaders have been ecstatic over the development, however, and indicate that the district could soon become an important agricultural hub for northern Ghana.
He equally emphasized government's support and active private sector investment as vital in the region's full realization of potential. He called on the current administration to give priority attention to infrastructural development, especially in rural areas, in its agenda for the enabling of more investors to come and make the region an ideal destination for agro-industrial ventures.
The establishment of the agro-processing factory is part of Mahama's overall vision for the development of the area, especially the northern part of the country, which he says has numerous untapped potentials for driving economic growth.
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