President inaugurates $77m ceramics factory
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has inaugurated a $77.26 million ceramics factory at Aboadze, near Shama in the Western Region, to produce ceramic tiles to feed the local and export markets.
The factory, Twyford Ceramics, operates a 14.4 million square metres production facility which will help reduce the importation of tiles into the country from $90.66 million to $7.86 annually and is expected to provide about 1000 direct jobs and 800 indirect jobs when in full operation.
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The factory, a subsidiary of Sunda (MU) Holdings Limited, a Chinese company, is a boost to the government’s ‘one-district, one- factory’ industrialisation programme.
Production
At the inauguration of the factory last Saturday, the President lauded the initiative and promised government’s support for the investors of the project. He also praised them for sourcing all their raw materials locally and providing employment for the unemployed youth in the area.
''I congratulate the chairperson, board, management and directors of Sunda International for the decision to establish the factory here in Shama. It will not only reduce our country’s ceramic tiles import bill but will also create employment for the young men and women resident here. I am also happy to note that 95 per cent of the factory’s raw material needs will be sourced locally. The promoters of this project should work towards increasing this figure to a 100 per cent,” he stated.
President Akufo-Addo encouraged the management of the factory to play by the rules of the industry and assured the company of the government’s open door policy to resolve any challenges that might arise in the course of their operations.
One district, one factory
The Group Chairman of Sunda International, Mr Y.C Shen, said Twyford Ceramics was set up in Ghana because of the enabling business environment created by the government through the ‘one district, one factory’ initiative, which they had taken advantage of to set up the factory.
''Industrialisation is the main driver of every economy all over the world. As Ghana is trying to industrialise, we at Twyford Ceramics Factory are happy to be a part of the new industrialisation policy of this new government. Considering all the benefits of the project to the government and people of Ghana, we at Twyford Ceramics Factory are asking for all the support we can get from the government to ensure a smooth operation for the benefit of all,” he added.
Mr Shen lauded the government for the ‘one district, one factory’ policy which he said was introduced in China several years ago.
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‘'Your government’s policy of ‘one district, one factory’ encourages investors to set up a factory in every district of Ghana, which we believe is the best idea to move Ghana’s development forward and fast. Forty years ago, China was not more developed than Ghana today, but the Chinese government made a similar policy of rural industrialisation and the results is what we see in developed China today,” he said.